Wisconsin Historical Collections, Volume II (1856)

              1856 red banks legend 491 legend of the red banks by charles d robinson upon a high bank on the eastern shore of green bay about twelve miles north of the town is an interesting earth-work bear ing a singular resemblance to military defences of modern times its walls at one time must have been some seven feet in height or thereabouts1 having a ditch or moat on the outside and pro vided on its three exposed sides with regular bastions its fourth side fronts on a precipice of perhaps one hundred feet in height whose base is washed by the waters of green bay and leading down this steep bank impassable at any other immediate point is what seems to have once been a protected passage of steps cut into the clay and perhaps covered with boughs of trees this was the communication from the fort to the water and standing here now it needs but little fancy to see those grim warriors of the olden time filing down their covered way with less of the pomp and more of the nerve of the mailed knights of feudal days issuing from their rock-bound castles in or near the centre are two parallel walls about twenty-five feet long which were probably united at the ends as there is some appearance of it now it is very difficult to imagine the use of this part of the structure unless it was to protect valuables or uch inmates of the fort as were incapable of aiding in its de fence had the place been constructed in these days it would have made a miagazine of the most approved kind a few rods to the north outside the walls and on the very brink of the pre