A Northwoods Moment In History

You've heard of John Dillinger and the famous shootout at Bohemia Lodge in Manitowish Waters, but have you ever heard of Evelyn Frechette?

That's the topic of this week's A Northwoods Moment in History with Gary Entz.

Evelyn Frechette grew up in the Northwoods of Wisconsin and gained a measure of fame in the 1930s.  Her celebrity did not come from being a film actress or anything of that sort.  Rather, Evelyn Frechette became famous and drew crowds for national speaking tours because of her association with gangsters.

This week's A Northwoods Moment in History comes from a Curious North question.

Bob Nussbaum from Rhinelander asks: Why, and when, did the famous smokestacks of Rhinelander Paper, get shortened, so that the word "Glassine," the description of the butcher paper that changed the world, lost its "G"?

To answer Bob's question, here's Gary Entz.

Donald Karr of Rhinelander was a true war hero, but his heroism during World War II didn’t prevent an awkward homecoming when he returned to Wisconsin in 1944.

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

During the summer of 1958, Rock and Roll pioneers Buddy Holly and the Crickets toured the Upper Midwest as part of the Summer Dance Party tour. The tour passed through Wausau and ended in Rhinelander.

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

This week's A Northwoods Moment in History comes from a question to our Curious North series.

Patty Fitzpatrick from Rhinelander recently asked: Is it true that there was a POW camp in Rhinelander during World War II?"

To answer Patty's question, here's Gary Entz for this week's A Northwoods Moment in History.

In 1923, a fire in Elcho resulted in a dramatic shift for the way the Langlade County town looked.

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

Most Northwoods communities have undergone numerous changes during their existence.  The original wooden buildings of the late nineteenth century gave way to modern brick and mortar buildings as the twentieth century progressed.  It happens everywhere, but in some cases the change is more dramatic than most, and none was more visually dramatic than the change that overtook the town of Elcho in the 1920s.

Star Lake near Eagle River is a popular summertime destination today.

As Gary Entz tells us for this week's A Northwoods Moment in History though, it used to be considered a wasteland.

For this week's A Northwoods Moment in History, Gary Entz tells us about something that rarely happens.

Back in 1936, a case of mistaken identity led a family in Tomahawk to discover a loved one was not in fact dead, but very much alive.

Hi, this is Gary Entz for WXPR’s Northwood’s moment in History

In the early 1900's, Harshaw—like many small communities—had a general store that the community depended on in many ways.

The store closed in 1960, but Gary Entz looks back on its importance for this week's A Northwoods Moment in History.

This week’s A Northwoods Moment in History is in response to two WXPR listeners who submitted questions to our new Curious North series.

An anonymous listener from Lake Tomahawk asked: Did the French and British occupy Wisconsin? What happened in the war of 1812 in the state?

In addition, Jane Nicholson from Manitowish Waters asked: What were the first initiatives of the US government in our area? Who was sent here and for what purposes/initiatives?

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 communities of Gagen, Sugar Camp, Phelps, St. Germain, Sayner, and Rhinelander got their names.

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

For this week's A Northwoods Moment in History, Gary Entz tells us about the incredible journey of Thomas O’Brien in 1913.

In 1913 Thomas O’Brien was just on ordinary resident of Rhinelander.  While his brother John O’Brien was a respected member of the Rhinelander Police Department and served his community honorably, it was the younger brother Thomas who did something remarkable.  Thomas O’Brien undertook an incredible journey that few people even today would dare attempt.

For this week's A Northwoods Moment in History, Gary Entz tells us about a cold case that exists in Rhinelander from 1939.

A cold case is a criminal case where probative investigative leads have been exhausted but could be reopened pending the discovery of new evidence.  Such a cold case exists in Rhinelander’s history, and it is a grisly case of alleged murder.

For this week's A Northwoods Moment in History, Gary Entz tells us about the Soo Line Passenger Trains.

The Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad, more commonly known as the Soo Line, formed in 1884 and became a significant part of Northwoods history.  Although the company was primarily a freight railroad and was never one of the nation’s great passenger railroads. It nonetheless provided passenger service to the Northwoods with a branch of its Laker passenger train.

It remains uncertain when the first automobile appeared in the Northwoods, but what we know for sure is that they were not welcomed with open arms.

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