Dedicated to promoting the discovery and preservation of the rich history of the people, events, and places that make up Wisconsin's Last Wilderness.
NARRATIVES.
Of and by Presque Isle residents.
Narratives of the Fosterville/Winegar/Presque Isle area.
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Early history of the Presque Isle area.
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Winegar School 1930 Class Reunuion.
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Afternoon Canoeing with J. J. Foster.
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Fosterville/Winegar Swimmin' Hole.
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1909 Gang on the Presque Isle River.
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1910 Northwoods Canoeing Adventure.
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Picnic and Fishing with W. S. Winegar.
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1919 Canoeing Adventure from Winegar to Ladysmith.
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Outdoor Life on how to catch Presque Isle Muskies.
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Cora Spencer - 73 years in Presque Isle.
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Easy Going - visitors guide to Presque Isle.
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Presque Isle Essays and Dawg by Gladys Hill.
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100 years of Presque Isle Heritage and Memories.
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Bill Rutherford's Winegar Reflections.
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Pete Cober's Presque Isle Seasonal Blogs.
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Winnie Sievert's Worry Stone.
.pdf link.
Written by: Velma Kunschke in 1936.
This narrative is one of several oral and written treasures in the possesion of the Presque Isle Heritage Society Museum.
Velma left Winegar prior to 1943. Her parents, the Bill Kunschke's built and operated Kunschke Ox Bow Resort on Ox Bow Lake.
Is eithert little girl in the photo, at the Kunschke Ox Bow Resort, Velma?
.pdf link.
Velma organized class reunions of 1930 era students from the last Winegar Schoolhouse in 1990 and 1995.
The above is the article written in The Lakeland Times in 1995. The reporter interviewed several other attendies which also gave their narratives, of life in Winegar.
An Afternoon of Canoeing from Fosterville.
Click the above photograph to follow J. J. Foster's, Vilas County Lumber Company employees and families with guides on a Sunday afternoon recreation canoeing through the Township of Presque Isle's lakes and streams.
Ye olde Swimmin' Hole.
Click the above Post Card to view a photographic narrative of scenes around the Swimmin' Hole at a small bay on Little Horsehead Lake.
The Gang on the Presque Isle River.
The Gang on the Presque Isle River, is a 55 page journal with pictures and maps of a canoe adventure from; Marenisco - Tula - “The Elusive Potatato Patch” to Lake Superior. This adventure took place in 1909 when the "Upper" was mostly wild country with wild rivers. Even today from the safety of a well traveled beautiful footpath, it can be very intimidating.
Click the book on the right to read the introduction to Howard Greens's Journal written by his daughter in the 21st century, on his 1909 Presque Isle River adventure.
Read Howard Greene’s Northwoods Canoe Journal book, about this adventure and many other Northwoods canoe adventures from 1906 to 1916.
Greene, Howard. Border Country. Minneapolis. MN: University of Minnesota Press, 2017.
August, 1910, Northwoods Canoe Trip.
Click to view details in pdf.
Click above Post Card link to a calender format of Henry Foerster's, daily journal with Oscar Foerster, Otto Roehling, and George Goetz, on their three week, 60-70 mile canoeing adventure through lakes, rivers and creeks from the Township of Presque Isle.
Keep in mind over 100 years ago "city slickers" traveled to the Presque Isle area for recreation adventures and the beauty of the area. In 1910 this exploit cost less than $30 for these four men including transportation from Milwaukee.
On the nineth day, August 19, it is stated there is a forest fire and on August 20th, it rained slightly. the entry for August 26 begins "clear sky and sunshine for the first time in six days" so apparently the rain took care of the fire hazard in their immediate area.
Picnicking & Fishing with W. S. Winegar.
Click to view narrative.
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Click the above photograph to see a photographic narrative of an afternoon trip with William S. Winegar, Sawmill bosses and their families on a picnic to the large and beautiful Presque Isle Lake.
Can you find W. S. Winegar in the above photo?
Canoe Adventure from Winegar to Ladysmith, in 1919.
Click to view their photos and route in pdf.
The above four men left Winegar on Thursday, August 08, 1919 through Armour, Crab and several other lakes with portages to Manitowish, and then into the Flambeau River. This photo narrative covers over 100 miles to Ladysmith, which ended on Wednesday, the 28th. The Presque Isle Heritage Society would like help in identifying the four men who took this adventure over 100 years ago.
Deac Wilutis catches the big Muskies by unorthodox methods.
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You must read this 1961 OUTDOOR LIFE article to find Deac's dark secrete of catching 19 Muskies in 25 days with those that stayed with him at his Armour Lake Resort (He purchased the resort in 1952), on Horsehead Lake near Presque Isle, Wisconsin.
.pdf link.
This link is a narrative by Cora Spencer who lived in Presque Isle for 73 years. The .pdf document blends two writings, both basucally the same; one from The Lakeland Times and the other from, Joyce Laabs; Northwoods Nostalgia.
Easy Going is a nice little book written by, Michael Dunn in 1978 for an auto adventure traveling through Vilas and Oneida Counties. .pdf links below just includ exerts for Presque Isle and the sorrounding Vilas County area.
.pdf links.
Dunn III, Michael J. Easy Going – Wisconsin’s Northwoods. Madison, WI: Tamarack Press, 1978.
Gladys Hill (1910 - 2008) was a writer who liveed in Presque Isle for 65 years collecting its heritage. Her grandfather was a Lumber Jack during the winter and a Farmer during the summer.
When Gladys moved into the Presque Isle area they had no electricity or running water, But, she knew everyone.
Below are a few of the articles she has written for the local Northwoods newspapers about her experiences in the Presque Isle.area
.pdf links.
The above book was published posthumously about her Grandfather.
Hill, Gladys, Dawg, , Bloomington, IN, AuthorPress, 2011.
100 Years of Heritage in Recipes and Memories, compiled by Presque Isle Centennial Committee, Kearney, NE, Morris Press Cookbooks, 2006.
This book is more than a narrative of 100 years of Presque Isle residents 300+ recipes (many being of ethnic origins)! The first two sections include family heritage narratives, some prior to J. J. Foster building the Vilas County Lumber Company.
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Appetizers & Beverages
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Soups & Salads
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Vegetables & Side Dishes
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Main Dishes
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Breads & Rolls
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Deserts
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Cookies & Candy
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This & That
.pdf links.
Essays by Bill Rutherford. These narrative essays are an amazing reflection of a quite tranquil time when Bill was growing up. He was born a "Yooper", but still refers to Presque Isle as "Home".
Click above to read one of Bill's essays.
For a collection of 20 more of Bill's essays on Winegar/Presque Isle read his book:
WINEGAR Reflections, Shelbyville, KY: Wasteland Press, 2016.
"Living in Presque Isle", seasonal blogs by Pete D. Cober. Pete has taken many high quality photos with informative narratives and produced some really good quality videos. Pete has only been a resident of Presque Isle since 2017 after moving from urban Illinois. But, Pete and his wife have been visiting Presque Isle annually for over 40 years.
Click text above to view Pete's seasonal blogs.
