WILLIAMS BAY, Wis. — Even rare events like a solar eclipse have been seen often at Yerkes Observatory in Williams Bay.

It happens when you have been operating for 126 years. That's why Yerkes served as an ideal backdrop as more than 300 people gathered to take in the solar eclipse Monday.

What You Need To Know

  • More than 300 people came to watch the eclipse at Yerkes Observatory 
  • Event drew on history of the observatory itself

  • Many said seeing a sense of community at the event made it exciting

Mallory Conlon, who works for the observatory, was tasked with organizing the event. Conlon said even though Wisconsin was not in totality for the event, she and other staff knew that given the history at the observatory, it was important that they open their doors as a place where people could take it in.

“Between the 1900s and 1950s astronomers at Yerkes went on eclipse missions at least 10 times that we know of, so being able to share in this experience, one is deeply rooted in our history and also is not going to happen for a long time was something we couldn’t pass up,” said Conlon.

It was an event visitors would not pass up either. Baisha Whitten described herself as a big fan of anything relating to astronomy. It is why she brought her whole family from Milwaukee to Williams Bay for the eclipse.

“We are trying to build memories with our kids and we remember looking at the eclipse when we were kids,” said Whitten. “Now we have children and we will have a few more chances in our lifetime, but we just wanted to make these special memories.”

As the sun dimmed, excitement grew. There was a level of awe that came over many in the crowd.

“It feels like majesty and beauty,” said Whitten, as she donned eclipse glasses and looked toward the sky. “Even more amazing than I thought it would be,”

The event at Yerkes proved to be a sellout crowd, with so many coming to take it in that trolly shuttles were needed so that parking was not overflowing.

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