Eagle River Historical Society

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Eagle River Historical Society We have two free museums open on Mon. Thurs. & Fri. from 11-3 PM or by appt

The Eagle River Historical Society serves as the foremost repository for preserving our local northwoods history, culture, & heritage for past, present, & future generations.

DO YOU HEAR THAT?Most of the Tourists are gone, which means things are going to get a bit quieter around town! So now is...
10/05/2026

DO YOU HEAR THAT?

Most of the Tourists are gone, which means things are going to get a bit quieter around town! So now is your chance to do one of our Historic Downtown Walking Tours of Eagle River!

JOIN US FOR 140+ YEARS OF:
- Bar Fights and Rough and Tumble Stories
- Movers and Shakers who founded the town
- Fires, Explosions, and behind the scenes detail
- Nostalgia for your favorite old time stores!

Come explore 140+ years of Eagle River History! All of our tours discuss the REAL history of our community and are backed by heavy research through, newspapers, oral histories, and artifacts! Tours are about an hour long and we bring along over 100+ Historic Pictures!

THE LAST TOUR OF THE SEASON IS OCTOBER 29th!

BOOK A TOUR HERE!
https://book.peek.com/s/68cd7cb2-7e8f-4127-9f8f-b02acd5a9729/B0EVy

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!We have scheduled three more historic pub crawls for fall of 2026 because they SOLD OUT at the be...
10/03/2026

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!

We have scheduled three more historic pub crawls for fall of 2026 because they SOLD OUT at the beginning of the summer and are requested so often!

JOIN US FOR SOME "UNDERBELLY" HISTORY:
While Eagle River may be known today as a premier vacation spot or slow paced area to raise a family, over the past 130+ years Eagle River was known for other - sinister or unsavory things...

We will go and visit real historic locations, including bars, sites of former brothels, and other spots showcasing our more "Rough and Tumble" history. This tour will show you another perspective to living in Eagle River over 130+ years ago, discussing social life, crime, devastating fires, and past times of our community through the years.

The Bars featured on the Tour:
- Riverstone Brewing Company
- Smuggler’s Lounge of Eagle River
- The Tiny Tap of Eagle River, Wisconsin
- The Craftsman American Tavern
- Andy's Pontoon Saloon

FOR MORE INFORMATION CLICK HERE:
https://www.eagleriverhistory.org/bars-brothels-historic-pub-crawl

JOIN US FOR A FREE HISTORY TALK!On Saturday, Oct. 17th, at 11:00am we will hosting the fourth history talk in our 2026 F...
10/02/2026

JOIN US FOR A FREE HISTORY TALK!

On Saturday, Oct. 17th, at 11:00am we will hosting the fourth history talk in our 2026 Fall Historic District Lecture Series!

Join us for our Historic District Lecture Series - UpNorth Gifts !

We will be going back to the 1890s to learn about one of Eagle River's first business to receive electricity, among the most Genteel Saloons owned by one of Eagle River's foremost Movers and Shakers - Mart Hirzel! We will then go through the decades when it was a coffee shop, grocery store, and gift shop! - THIS LECTURE WILL BE HELD AT THE VILAS THEATER!

This lecture is free to the public to attend! If you do plan on coming, please RSVP:
https://zfrmz.com/ghUVo2WENTH7wBfUEA68

Want to see what other lectures are coming up this Fall? Click Here!
https://www.eagleriverhistory.org/historic-district-lecture-series

Did you know that the Eagle River Historical Society does tours on the buses to and from the Lake Nokomis Cranberries Ma...
10/02/2026

Did you know that the Eagle River Historical Society does tours on the buses to and from the Lake Nokomis Cranberries Marsh?

These shuttle buses are courtesy of the Eagle River, WI Chamber Of Commerce and if you want to learn cool history facts or some random trivia go take a tour! There are also fun games and samples to try at the Marsh as well!

Also, if you have time, be sure to check out our C.+N.W. Depot Museum in downtown Eagle River which will be open today until 3:00pm and Saturday from 11:00am until 3:00pm!

JOIN US FOR A FREE HISTORY TALK!On Sunday, Oct. 11th, at 1:00pm we will hosting the third history talk in our 2026 Fall ...
09/25/2026

JOIN US FOR A FREE HISTORY TALK!

On Sunday, Oct. 11th, at 1:00pm we will hosting the third history talk in our 2026 Fall Historic District Lecture Series!

Join us for our Historic District Lecture Series - Salon and Spa on R.R. Street!

We will be going all the way back to 1880s to talk about the former boarding house known as the Dockery House, to 1926 to learn about the Eagle Battery and Tire Shop and of course the Speiss Station! This lecture will be held in and hosted at Salon and Spa on Railroad!

This lecture is free to the public to attend! If you do plan on coming, please RSVP:
https://zfrmz.com/ghUVo2WENTH7wBfUEA68

Want to see what other lectures are coming up this Fall? Click Here!
https://www.eagleriverhistory.org/historic-district-lecture-series

THANK YOU DONORS!For such an important and great opportunity to preserve Eagle River's history for generations to come! ...
09/25/2026

THANK YOU DONORS!

For such an important and great opportunity to preserve Eagle River's history for generations to come! Your generosity is already being put to work, we appreciate your generosity!

A lot has been happening at the museum site the last few days!

WANT TO LEARN ABOUT OLD EAGLE RIVER?Join the Eagle River Historical Society on our HISTORIC DOWNTON WALKING TOUR, where...
09/24/2026

WANT TO LEARN ABOUT OLD EAGLE RIVER?

Join the Eagle River Historical Society on our HISTORIC DOWNTON WALKING TOUR, where we will take you through the history of every building on Wall Street! We cover the following history:

- Bar Fights
- Movers and Shakers
- Fires and Explosions
- Nostalgia for your favorite old time stores!

Come explore 140+ years of Eagle River History! Tours are about an hour long and we bring along over 100+ Historic Pictures!

- GET TICKETS HERE!
https://www.eagleriverhistory.org/historic-walking-tours

DEPOT MUSEUM IS BACK OPEN!We were closed the past few weeks for a brief fall break, but tomorrow, on September 24th we w...
09/23/2026

DEPOT MUSEUM IS BACK OPEN!

We were closed the past few weeks for a brief fall break, but tomorrow, on September 24th we will be open until October 24th! Stop in on Thursdays and Fridays from 11:00am to 3:00pm. We will be open during Cranberry Fest and every week until October 24th, so while the tourists are gone you can stop and see our FREE museum!

We had a great time at Timmy's Holiday Corner & Timmy’s Division Street Pizza & Sandwich Company talking about the over ...
09/15/2026

We had a great time at Timmy's Holiday Corner & Timmy’s Division Street Pizza & Sandwich Company talking about the over 140+ year history of the land the old Elko's building sits on!

Thank you Tim Richards for hosting us and providing some delicious pizza!

If you want to see more historic lectures about downtown Eagle River check out the rest of our series here:

https://www.eagleriverhistory.org/historic-district-lecture-series

REMINDER that this Saturday, Sept. 19th, at 1:00pm we will hosting the second history talk in our 2026 Fall Historic Dis...
09/14/2026

REMINDER that this Saturday, Sept. 19th, at 1:00pm we will hosting the second history talk in our 2026 Fall Historic District Lecture Series!

Join us for our Historic District Lecture Series - Eagle Wings Sportswear!
We will be going all the way back to 1890 to talk about Eagle River's first three story building, nicest hotel, and longest operating grocery stores - Holperin's SuperValu! - THIS LECTURE WILL BE HELD AT THE Vilas Cinema!

This lecture is free to the public to attend! If you do plan on coming, please RSVP:
https://zfrmz.com/ghUVo2WENTH7wBfUEA68

Want to see what other lectures are coming up this Fall? Click Here!
https://www.eagleriverhistory.org/historic-district-lecture-series

Last Photo Credit: John Solvie

Address

1181 Highway 45 South
Eagle River, WI
54521

Opening Hours

Monday 11am - 3pm
Thursday 11am - 3pm
Friday 11am - 3pm

Telephone

(715) 337-0811

Website

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