A Northwoods Moment In History

Have you ever wondered how the Upper Peninsula of Michigan came to be… why it's a part of Michigan, and not Wisconsin?

Gary Entz has the story for this week's A Northwoods Moment in History.

This week's A Northwoods Moment in History tale from Tomahawk in the early 1940's has all the marks of a great story: a small-time group of bandits, a toy gun, and of course, an efficient Oneida County Sheriff.

We'll let Gary Entz take it from here.

Historians encounter lots of interesting stories, but once in a while a tale from the past resurfaces that just makes a person sit back and wonder how such a thing could have been allowed to happen.  The experience of Earl Wing in the Northwoods is just such a story.

Throughout the last year, our local historian Gary Entz has uncovered why many towns in the Northwoods are named what they are.

Some previous installments of A Northwoods Moment in History have included how the towns of Phelps, St. Germain, Sayner, and Rhinelander got their names.

In this week’s installment, we hear how the community of Gagen got its name.

They say playing on sports teams in high school prepares you for the future in a lot of ways.

For one former Rhinelander High School football player, the way he learned how to tackle in high school set him up to save a former president's life.

Gary Entz has the story this week for A Northwoods Moment in History.

We've all heard of the Rhinelander Shorty, but how much do you really know about the origins of the Rhinelander Brewing Company?

Gary Entz has the story for this week's A Northwoods Moment in History.

In this week's A Northwoods Moment in History, Gary Entz tell us how the city of Rhinelander got its name.

This week on A Northwoods Moment in History, Gary Entz tells us about the tragedy of Annie Scheffner.

This week on A Northwoods Moment in History, Gary Entz tells us about cattle drives that used to take place in the Northwoods.

This week on A Northwoods Moment in History, Gary Entz tells us about Strawberry Island in Lac du Flambeau.

This week on A Northwoods Moment in History, Gary Entz looks back on an ice storm that happened in Wisconsin back in 1922.

People who live and work in the Northwoods are accustomed to cold temperatures, ice, and snow.  No matter what time period in history we look at, people adapted and dealt with the weather conditions.  However, every once in a while the weather packs an unusual wallop, and sometimes it is so severe that it can even bring hardy Northwoods residents to a standstill.  Such was the case with an ice storm that struck Wisconsin in February 1922.

This week on A Northwoods Moment in History, Gary Entz looks back on the life of Rhinelander's Paul Browne.

There have been many notable people who have lived and worked in Rhinelander in the 137 years of its existence as a town.  The men who built the logging industry clearly defined its early history, but few have had as lasting an impact on the ongoing character of the city as did Paul Browne.

Since 1933, volunteers in the Eagle River area have been getting together around this time of the year to build an ice castle.

How did this tradition start, though? Gary Entz has the story as part of our weekly series A Northwoods Moment in History.

With winter officially beginning last Friday, Gary Entz tells us about winter logging this week as part of our continued series A Northwoods Moment in History.

For many children, writing a letter to Santa has always been an important part of this time of the year.

Back in 1929 though, the letters reflected hardships in Rhinelander families. Gary Entz remembers those families this week as part of our continued series A Northwoods Moment in History.

Thanks to Liana Teter, Brynn Teter, and Cooper Dick for reading the letters from 1929.

Not all of our history includes fond memories. This week on a Northwoods Moment in History, Gary Entz reminds us of the way Native Americans were treated in the Great Lakes Region in the 19th century, and of a man named of Simon Kahquados.