WAUKEHSA, Wis.— Learning more about the history around you—  that’s the goal behind a student-created walking tour at Carroll University.

“The best part about working on this project was uncovering the historical value Carroll has,” said Cade Zelinski, now a junior at the college.

He and five peers created this walking tour of historic Carroll University landmarks two years ago.  Now, to celebrate the school’s 175 anniversary, he and Sophie Furman revisit it.

“We have been here for forever and we want people to know that,” Sophie said.“We have been here for forever and we want people to know that,” Sophie said.

It took about four months to complete.  Through an app called Clio, the tour is able to be pulled up on any smartphone.  

For Cade, he has pride in where he’s getting his education.

“It’s the first university of Wisconsin, founded even before Wisconsin became a state and its history often goes overlooked by people,” he said.

Both Carroll University and Beloit College were founded in 1846, making them the oldest colleges in Wisconsin.

The walking tour is the idea of history professor Kimberly Redding.

“When you have a project where all you’re starting with is the name of a building and an address, the students have to work through a variety of different sources,” she said.  “Different family names, different spellings of family names.”

The students are also working on a driving tour of historic World War II sites, in partnership with the Waukesha County Historical Society. 

Many historic schools do similar things. Marquette University also has a walking tour on Clio.