Par John Burton

In the fall of 1895, a team from the University of Wisconsin school of agriculture, including Dean William A. Henry, Madison photographer Harvey J. Perkins, and others, traveled to every county north of a line drawn from Green Bay to Hudson. They compiled information and photographs from cutover lands, and already existing farms, in an attempt to s…

Par John Burton

Par John Burton

Par John Burton

Par John Burton

Par John Burton

Par John Burton

Par John Burton

Par John Burton

Par John Burton

Par John Burton

Par John Burton

Par John Burton

Par John Burton

Par John Burton

Par John Burton

Par John Burton

Par John Burton

Par John Burton

Par John Burton

Fifty-one years ago, the United States left Vietnam on March 29th, 1973, after 8 years of fighting. The conflict left a lasting impact on our country, including the Northwoods, where it forever changed the lives of the service members involved and their families. This is one of those stories.Par Kerry Bloedorn

There are many kinds of record keeping that scientists use to recapture recent and ancient historyPar Susan Knight

Kids corner Pizza in Rhinelander is located in one of the oldest frame buildings in downtown Rhinelander. Kerry Bloedorn – Northwoods Historian, shares the history of that building, The Martin Flat, on this installment of A Northwoods Moment in History on WXPRPar Kerry Bloedorn

Apple cultivars brought as seed from Europe were spread along Native American trade routes, as well as being cultivated on colonial farms. By the mid 1800s, United States apples nursery catalogues sold 350 of the "best" cultivars, showing the proliferation of new North American cultivars by the 19th century.…

In 1926, Three Lakes Wisconsin held a winter sports carnival on a big hill at what is now Camp Luther, and on the ice of Range Line Lake below. A number of winter sporting events were organized, including toboggan races, hockey games, and Wisconsin’s first ever snowmobile race.Par Kerry Bloedorn

Open lakes, no snow, and sweatshirt weather was the scene this December in Vilas County. Much to the chagrin of ice anglers and cross country skiers, El Nino has taken hold and has had many implications for the local people, economy, and ecosystems.Par Gretchen Gerrish

Prohibition began in 1920, banning all sales of alcoholic beverages, as defined by the Volstead Act. The quiet Northwood’s of Wisconsin became a haven for big city black market liquor production and smuggling.Par Kerry Bloedorn

The Common Watersnake, Nerodia sipedon, is common throughout much of eastern North America. Our local subspecies, the Northern Watersnake, is common throughout much of Wisconsin.Par Susan Knight

In the weeks leading up to Christmas 1944, Americans were tuned into newspaper headlines about a German offensive in the Ardenne forest of Belgium between Germany and France. One young soldier from Pelican Lake, would earn a bronze star in what became known as the Battle of the Bulge.Par Kerry Bloedorn

There are many exotic plants and animals that we don’t consider to be pests. Corn is native to Mexico, soybeans are native to Asia, tulips are native to Europe. Most of our domesticated animals are exotic with domestic cattle originating in Asia. Many of these plants and animals are exotic but not extremely invasive. They have become part of ecosys…

One of the many construction projects in Rhinelander that was completed this year was a water main repair, causing the closure of the Phillip Street Bridge, located behind the Rhinelander Paper Mill. This bridge has collapsed not once, but twice in its history.Par Kerry Bloedorn

At the end of the famous book, Tarzan of the apes swoops in to rescue his beloved Jane Porter in the Northern Forests of Wisconsin. This part in the closing chapters of the book never made it into the dozen film adaptations produced over the decades, which is why most Northwoods folk aren’t quite familiar with that part of the adventure.…

Global warming may also be affecting a global water circulation system abbreviated AMOC that includes the Gulf Stream, that river of ocean water that moves warm tropical water north along the east coast of North America before veering off toward Europe.Par Susan Knight

With the return of school comes the return of Friday Night Football.One of the biggest rivalries in the Northwoods is between Rhinelander and Antigo.Local historian and director of the Pioneer Park Historical Complex Kerry Bloedorn shares the story of the Bell Game in this episode of A Northwoods Moment in History.…

Today, Rhinelander seems like an unlikely place for a presidential hopeful to campaign, but at one time, it was a must stop on the road to the Whitehouse. So it was during a campaign tour in 1959 for a young Senator from Massachusetts, John F. Kennedy. Learn about his visit on A Northwoods Moment in History…

Gardening in the Northwoods can be challenging. Long winters, short summers, and our many whitetail deer friends all conspire against us. In recent years, we have one more pest to deal with, the Japanese beetle.Par Scott Bowe

As the famous dairy state of the U.S., cheese is no doubt a staple in Wisconsin. As such it seems only fit that we have an official state cheese. Efforts by law makers in recent years have pushed to make Colby cheese the official state cheese.Par Sydney Kuckkan

The Northwoods has seen its fair share of extreme weather, from blizzards to tornados, but one storm on Independence Day in 1977 swept across the region with such ferocity, it is still remembered vividly today.Par Kerry Bloedorn

Spiny water fleas are aquatic arthropods called zooplankton. Zooplankton are small shrimp-like creatures, and most of them survive by eating phytoplankton, the microscopic photosynthetic algae at the bottom of the food chain in lakes.Par Susan Knight

The Rhinelander-Oneida County Airport has been fielding planes at its current location just west of Rhinelander since the early 40s. But Rhinelander’s aeronautical history goes all the way back to a flight that occurred in 1912.Par Kerry Bloedorn

One day in 1986, dubbed Black Tuesday, went down in History as the most wildland fires fought in a single day in Northern Wisconsin. By the end of that Tuesday, 64 fires would burn hundreds of acres.Par Kerry Bloedorn

Rivers and Lakes are beginning to open up in the Northwoods. During the logging boom in Northern Wisconsin, that meant it was time to start the river drive. Moving tens of thousands of logs by water to sawmill towns was a deadly business. And so it was on the first log drive north of Grandfather Falls on the Wisconsin River, 165 years ago.…

By the end of last month, northern Wisconsin had already reached the ‘severe or ‘very severe’ annual winter index thresholds set by the Wisconsin DNR for the first time since 2013Par Gretchen Gerrish

Most trees are either deciduous, and drop their leaves in fall, or are evergreen, and hang onto their leaves for more than one season. The evergreen trees tend to be in more stressed environments, stressed by either cold temperatures or low water availability.Par Susan Knight

Contentious elections have been going on since the time of Ancient Greece. One election in the Northwoods in 1912 saw lumberjack votes tossed out, but too late. Hear the story on A Northwoods Moment in History.Par Kerry Bloedorn

In this month's installment of Field Notes, Scott Bowe of Kemp Station discusses how water temperature and oxygen impact fish activity.Par Scott Bowe

What started out as a small race on Eagle River’s Dollar Lake in 1964, quickly turned into the world Championship of Snowmobile racing. Much has been written about the history of the famous derby, but several visits from notable Green Bay Packers helped give it even more traction in the early days.Par Kerry Bloedorn

In this month's installment of Field Notes, Trout Lake Station’s Gretchen Gerrish takes us to Florida with a lesson about marine field research.Par Gretchen Gerrish

During the first cross-country endurance race in Wisconsin, the Hodag International Cross-Country Marathon, racers came from all over, including Canada. However, there were few women among the entrants. MaryAnn Montgomery was one.Par Kerry Bloedorn