A historic bronze elk statue is leaving its longtime spot outside an Oconomowoc museum for a new perch on a golf course tied to its earliest local history. After roughly two decades on the museum lawn, the elk is headed back toward the Lake Country estate where its story began.
After standing outside the Oconomowoc Area Historical Society & Museum for about 20 years, the statue is being transferred to The Club at Lac La Belle, according to Greater Milwaukee Today. The organizations formalized the handoff with a deed of gift, and the museum had scheduled the elk’s removal by the end of last week. Its earlier home was the Anchorage estate, where it faced the Shufeldt residence and played a role in the property’s landscape around the turn of the 20th century.
A Historic Return To The Shufeldt Property
The elk’s destination is Uncle Henry’s Backyard, a new short course at The Club at Lac La Belle. The club’s official history page says the golf property was founded in 1896 on the back acres of the H.H. Shufeldt family property, giving the relocation a fitting bit of historical symmetry.
The statue will be repaired before it is displayed in a space visible to anyone driving into Uncle Henry’s Backyard, Greater Milwaukee Today reports. A condition assessment found that the bronze needed costly repairs and continuing maintenance to remain outdoors, while Club at Lac La Belle President and General Manager Tyler Morse called the elk’s return a “dream come true.” The club expects to have it on display by spring 2027.
The Elk Gets A Preservation Plan
The transfer gives the sculpture a new owner willing to handle the expense and upkeep that come with putting historic artwork outside. Morse said the goal is to repair the statue so it can last another 120 years, turning the move into more than a change of scenery.
For Oconomowoc, the elk is not disappearing from Lake Country; it is simply trading museum visitors for golfers and fairways. Its next chapter will unfold on a property already connected to the people and place that helped make the statue part of local history.
