Cherrywood ...The Beginning Edit page

The land which is now known as Cherrywood was owned by John and Mary Swoboda. The original developer was Dohm Construction. Rick Dohm had hopes of doing all the building on each lot, but wound up selling the lots to buyers and other builders. There were 57 lots in the first stage which was then called Cherrywood Glen.

The plat was approved and recorded March of 1974. The only road into the development was Swoboda Road. Just before getting to Swoboda Road on the south side of Mineral Point Road was a white unoccupied building which previously was a cheese factory, a small house, and West Middleton School. West Middleton was a four-room school house housing K-6th grades. The grades were doubled in each room with the exception of kindergarten. First and 2nd were together, 3rd and 4th, 5 and 6th. The unoccupied cheese factory was converted to a small convenience store known as Claude’s. The house became a Chinese restaurant, and the residence of the family who ran the restaurant. Over time Claude’s convenience store was rebuilt, gas pumps were added and was then renamed Kick A Poo. Kick a Poo is now Kwik Trip. The house with the Chinese restaurant was taken down and was replaced by additional gas pumps. Currently as one passes the many times expanded West Middleton School is the entrance to the Tumbledown Golf Course. Prior to becoming a golf course the property was a sod farm owned by the Watts Landscaping Company.

In 1975 we discovered Swoboda Road. It was a dirt road leading to Cherrywood Glen (the original name of the development). Cherrywood Glen began approximately 100 yards from what is now Ox Trail Lane. Before reaching Cherrywood Glen, one side of Swoboda Road was a farm with cattle and the other side was a corn field. Occasionally cows wandered onto Swoboda Road, and I would have to get out of the car and shoo them so I could continue into the Glen. Like Swoboda Road all the original streets in Cherrywood Glen were unpaved. The first two houses built were diagonally across from one another on the corners of Swoboda and Ox trail. Swoboda Road ended at what is now Cherry Wood Lane. To the right is the cul de sac which was initially called Cherrywood Court. To the left was/is Cherry Wood Lane.

Our house (the third Cherrywood house) was completed in 1975, and was the only house in the cul de sac. In the winter of 1976 we experienced a severe ice storm and Cherrywood lost many trees. We personally lost over 20. Several trees fell across Swoboda Road blocking passage. There were a few Cherrywood children who were stuck at West Middleton school. The school alerted us that Swoboda Road was impassable, and the school bus returned the kids to school. One of our neighbors had a snowmobile, and made several trips to school bringing the kids safely home. He and my husband had chainsaws and eventually were able to clear the road. Cherrywood was out of power for three days. We cooked on the gas grill, and slept by the fireplace. More importantly we all realized the importance of having more then one access in and out of Cherrywood in times of emergency. A group of us went to the town hall/garage which was located where Walgreens is on Mineral Point Road. The town board was less then agreeable, even though a plat map existed showing a road leading to Timber Lane. It took more than a year before Seqouia Trail was built, providing the second access we needed.

In 1976 the Parade of Homes chose Cherrywood and Sabaka Trail as their site for the parade, and Cherrywood took off. The parade was so successful It was brought back again in 1977 and 1978. The next area to be added to Cherrywood was the Jenness farm on the east side of Swoboda Road, and it was named Cherry Wood View. It had 65 lots and added the streets Mathias Way and Court, Vickiann Street, Kempfer Lane, Carolind Court, and Richie Road.

In 1977 the Voss farm on the west side of Swoboda Road was approved and called Cherry Wood Park. It had 75 lots, adding Sequoia Trail, Okanagan Court, Arapaho Court, Caribou Court, Manistee Court, and Eldorado Court. A neighborhood pond was also added. Sometime later a few residents became concerned on how the pond could be drained if it should need to be and how to keep it from overflowing. Work was then done to the pond to handle these concerns.

In 1978 Cherry Wood Estates was added with 50 lots. This added Maas Drive, the second part of Sabaka Trail, the second part of Richie Road, and Bunbury Court.