A Landscape of Legends and Lore
The fall is a perfect time to discover the history and heritage of Vilas
County. The area’s dense forests and thousands of lakes have been the
home to native peoples for thousands of years before European settlers
arrived. Fur-trappers and traders trekked Vilas County’s woodlands and
waters for centuries, followed by loggers who sought the region’s towering
white pines. Later, other settlers came and settled the land, establishing
farms and vibrant communities. Today, Vilas County’s rich tapestry of
culture and history can be enjoyed through museums, historic sites and
interpretive centers located in the communities throughout the county.
Click on one of these links to jump to the community:
Boulder Junction -
Conover - Eagle River -
Lac du Flambeau - Land O' Lakes
Manitowish Waters - Minocqua-Arbor Vitae-Woodruff - Phelps - Preque Isle
-
Sayner and Star Lake -
St. Germain - Winchester
Boulder Junction—Musky Capital of the World®
 The community of Boulder Junction proudly bears the title, Musky
Capital of the World®. This trademark was awarded by virtue of the fact
that more muskies are caught on Boulder Junction lakes every year than
any other similar sized area in the world. Each August, Boulder Junction
celebrates this grand fish with their Musky Jamboree. Throughout Boulder
Junction—and all of Vilas County—you’ll
see various monuments and displays to
this toothy predator. If you are interested
in pursuing monstrous muskies, fall is
absolutely the best time of year—most of the
trophy musky are taken during the fall. If
you’re not interested in angling, try bicycling
or hiking—the area’s paved woodland trails
are some of the finest in the Midwest. For
more information on Boulder Juction, visit
www.boulderjct.org or call 1-800-466-8759.
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Conover—One Man’s Great Escape
In the late 19th century, a young man named Seth Conover
from Plymouth, Wisconsin traveled north on the logging
trains to a place he thought was just perfect for fishing and
hunting. He returned to the area so often that the men on the logging train
began to refer to the area as the Conover Stop. In 1891, Seth Conover
started his own hunting club there. For more information on Conover, visit
www.conover.org or call 1-800-394-4FUN (4386).
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Eagle River—Largest Freshwater Chain of
Lakes on Earth
 The famous Eagle River–Three Lakes Chain
of 28 lakes is the largest connected chain of
lakes in the world. The first permanent Native
American settlement in Wisconsin’s Northwoods is said to have been
in Eagle River on the shores of Watersmeet Lake. During the logging
era these lakes served as a major transportation route for logs heading to
downstream lumber mills. The area’s earliest explorers named the area Eagle
River because of the
many eagles nesting
along the river. In
2007, Eagle River
will be celebrating
its Sesquicentennial
Anniversary. For more
information, visit
www.eagleriver.org or
call 1-800-359-6315.
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Lac du Flambeau—
Vilas County’s Ojibwe
Heritage
The Ojibwe people have
called Lac du Flambeau
home for centuries.
From the forests, the
Ojibwe found food
and game. From the
lakes, wild rice was
collected and fish were
caught. The name “Lac
du Flambeau” means
“Lake of the Torches,” a name given to the area by French fur traders
who saw the Ojibwe fishing by torchlight. Those looking to delve
into Ojibwe culture will love the George W. Brown Jr., Museum and
Cultural Center. For more information on Lac du Flambeau, visit
www.lacduflambeau.org or call 1-877-588-3346.
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Land O’ Lakes—Lives Up to Its
Name
 Land O’ Lakes history is dominated
by logging—it was said that a 40-
acre plot in this heavily forested area
could produce one million board
feet of lumber! In the early 1900s,
standing on a hilltop in Land O’
Lakes overlooking the logged over
country, one could see Minocqua
many miles to the southwest. Since
then, the forests have returned,
making Land O’ Lakes one of the most pristine places in the Northwoods.
Lake Vieux Desert is recognized as the headwaters of the Wisconsin
River. For more information on Land O’ Lakes, visit www.landolakes-wi.org or call 1-800-236-3432.
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Manitowish Waters—Cranberry Harvest
 For Manitowish Waters and much of Northern Wisconsin, the logging
era ended in the early 1900s. Then the resort industry flourished and the
area catered to vacationers, particularly around its 10-lake chain. In 1946,
another important industry began that remains a large part of Manitowish
Waters’ cultural fabric today: cranberries. Cranberry farming began around
Wild Rice Lake shortly after WWII, and today the cranberry industry is
central to the Manitowish Waters community economy. Visit
www.manitowishwaters.org or call 1-888-626-9877.
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Minocqua–Arbor Vitae–Woodruff—
A Place to Relax
 This beautiful area was an important
camping site for the Ojibwe for many
centuries. In the late 1800s, the area
became the place where loggers went
to relax: in 1891, Minocqua had 29
saloons catering to lumberjacks and
only 15 homes. By 1900, the logging
boom had ended and the railroads were
used to bring vacationers looking
to enjoy the area’s lakes and famed fishing—the same things that draw
visitors today.
Woodruff is a great place to find out about one of the most famous
figures in the Northwoods: Kate Pelham Newcomb, better known as Dr.
Kate, “Angel on Snowshoes.” This country doctor braved the North’s
worst weather to deliver babies and tend to the sick in a time when there
were few good roads. This real-life folk hero was famous throughout the
world in her time and is now commemorated in the Dr. Kate Museum in
Woodruff. For more information on the Minocqua-Arbor Vitae-Woodruff
Area, visit www.minocqua.org or call 1-800-44-NORTH.
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Phelps—On the Military Road
Phelps is located along a historic route called the Military Road, a route
built between 1863 and 1872 to transport troops and supplies in case of a
British attack from Canada. The official town of Phelps was established in
1901 when three lumbermen—Hackley, Phelps and Bonnell—built their
enormous lumber mill here on the northeast shore of North Twin Lake.
Originally, the town was called Hackley, but the name was being confused
with another Wisconsin town called Hatley, so the name was then changed
to Phelps. For more information, visit www.phelpswi.org or call 1-877-
669-7077.
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Presque Isle—On the Dividing Line
 Presque Isle lies on the shore of Presque Isle
Lake, the headwaters for the Wisconsin River.
The area is located on a line which divides
those waters that flow to the Mississippi and
those that flow northerly to the St. Lawrence
Seaway. But the area is more than just
lakes—the beautiful town of Presque Isle has a
special Northwoods charm you won’t want to
miss. For information about shopping and dining in Presque Isle, visit www.presqueisle.com or call 1-888-835-6508.
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Sayner and Star Lake—Pioneers of Northwoods Hospitality
 Sayner and Star Lake were two of the first Northwoods communities to
recognize the enormous potential the region had for attracting tourists.
In 1892, Orrin W. Sayner opened a lodge that attracted vacationers from
around the country. In Star Lake, the Hotel Waldheim was built in 1894
as a getaway for lumber barons and their guests. The area is also the home
of Wisconsin’s oldest 9-hole golf course—the Plum Lake Golf Course was
built in 1912. In 1924, the first
snowmobile was invented here,
and that very machine can be
seen today at the Vilas County
Historical Museum. For more
information, visit www.sayner-starlake.org or call 1-888-722-3789.
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St. Germain—You’ll Fall in Love
 The name St. Germain is derived from a man
who came to this region in the late 1600s,
French soldier Jean François St. Germain. In
1690, St. Germain fell in love with a Native
American woman who lived in this area.
The soldier married her and chose to settle
among his new wife’s tribe in this incredibly
beautiful wilderness. The story reflects the
area’s alluring beauty and culture—something
people have been falling in love with for
many generations. For more information on
St. Germain, visit www.st-germain.com or
call 1-800-727-7203.
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Winchester—The Divide Resort
Winchester began as a lumber mill town, and in 1902 the community
was even named for the president of the Turtle Lake Lumber Company,
Walter Winchester. But as early as 1893, the Divide Resort made the
area known as a resort destination, offering yachting, sailing, canoeing,
fishing, bowling, tennis and billiards. To see pictures from Winchester’s
early years, stop by the public library housed in a 1910 school building.
For more information on Winchester, visit www.winchesterwi.org or call
715-686-22 32.
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