There are some places in New Glarus that were never official landmarks, but everyone knew them anyway.

This historic photograph of the New Glarus High School Class of 1985 captures one of them: the sandy, rocky hillside near Highway 69 and Elmer Road. Over the years, people have called it Sand Hill, Sand Cliff, The Rocky Hill or simply “that hill” on the east side of town.

The photo shows the hill as many longtime residents remember it — open, exposed and impossible to miss. The students are gathered across the face of the slope, with the pale sand and layered rock rising behind them. It was not polished. It was not postcard-pretty. But it had presence.