Presque Isle Heritage Society

05/13/2026

Eric Benn’s program about how the logging companies used railroads in the area is happening now at the Presque Isle Community Building! Thanks to all who are here to learn with us, and Christal and the Presque Isle Community Library for hosting!

05/12/2026

The eighth graders from North Lakeland are usually our first visitors of the year! Plan a visit to the cottage museum sometime this summer.

05/10/2026

Don't forget that you can learn all about how the logging companies used early railroads in our area on Wednesday, May 13, at the Presque Isle Community Library at 4:00pm. We look forward to seeing you there!

05/08/2026

Presque Isle Lake used to have numerous resorts. Here is an ad for just one of them. Which resorts do you remember?

04/25/2026

Have you ever wondered where the lumber company executives' homes were located? This Clio tour will lay it out for you:

In 1905, the newly formed Vilas County Lumber Company created the town that is now Presque Isle in a remote portion of northwestern Vilas County. They built a sawmill, a company town for the mill’s workers, and began cutting the surrounding forests. Three large houses – sometimes referred to as ...

04/21/2026

For your next stop with our Clio tour, see where the Company Store was located in town:

The Company Store was central to the everything that happened in the lumber town of Fosterville (1905-1910) and Winegar (1910-1933) - the town we now know as Presque Isle. The store received all food and supplies for the mill workers, the town residents, and the lumber camps. It stood adjacent to th...

04/18/2026

We have a Clio stop to honor the soldiers from our area who served in World War I - check it out here:

The United States entered WWI in 1816 and the call went out for men to fight. The lumber town then known as Winegar had 30 able-bodied men go off to fight. WWI ended in November 1918 and the troops began demobilizing and returning home. On 4 October 1919, the surviving 28 Winegar servicemen arrived....

04/15/2026

Thank you to the Cable-Namakagon Historical Museum for sending us this neat postcard of the Riverside Tavern.

04/14/2026

With the snow thawing and lakes opening up, take a walk to Sensenbrenner Park in town and use Clio to learn more about the old watering hole:

A sawmill and company town were established in 1905 at the town now known as Presque Isle. At its peak in the late 1910s and early 1920s the mill employed hundreds of men, many of whom had families that lived in the company town. With the mill and schools closed on Sundays, townspeople took advantag...

04/11/2026

Here is another of our Clio tour stops. Get an idea of where the railroad depot was located in town.

During the logging era (1905 - 1933) the Vilas County Lumber Company operated a large sawmill in what is now Presque Isle. They harvested timber cut in the surrounding forests and brought them to the mill on logging trains. The company contracted with the Chicago & North-Western Railway to furni...

04/08/2026

Have you seen the stops we've been putting on Clio lately?
Here is a post where you can learn more about the railroad water tank, and even go where it was located:

A large water tank was erected to water the steam locomotives that served Presque Isle at the nearby RR depot. The tank stood at the base of the hill running up through town and was a prominent landmark.