Eagle River, Vilas County, Wisconsin
Eagle River is the county seat of Vilas County and the only incorporated town in the county. Several histories of the town are cited in the bibliography. In 2007, at the town's susquicentennial, the Eagle River Historical Society published a new, quite comprehensive history of the town under the title, Eagle River, Wisconsin, Its History & People. It is in the bibliography under author Eagle River Historical Society.
A brief history was compiled (revised 2008) by the Eagle River Historical Society and published in a brochure titled "Loggers, Traders and Settlers, The Early History of Eagle River, Wisconsin" The complete text is available.
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Major References
Minor References
UFO Sighting
In April, 1961, there was a UFO sighting in Eagle River. It is case file number7372 in the US Air Force's Project Blue Book records. See the Wikipedia reference below for more information on Project Blue Book. See the US Air Force Document on Project Blue Book regarding the April, 1961, sighting.
Everett Resort
The Everett Resort was historically one of the largest and grandest American Plan resorts in the Eagle River area. The resort provided lodging, meals, entertainment, recreational activities, and other amenities for its guests. The Main Building, constructed ca 1896, was the physical and social center at the resort and by ghe 1920s-1930s provided dining for up to 300 guests each day. Other buildings on the property included the Sun Room/Office, Marina Bar, Clubhouse, Columbine and Gables Cottages, and a boathouse. Individual cottages were constructed along the shorelines of both Catfist and Cranberry lakes for guests. The resort's Rustic and Craftsman-style buildings reflect a strong relationship with their natural surroundings. [Text from the WHS Columns notice of recent additions to the Wisconsin Register of Historic Places, July-August, 20008, p. 5].
Trading Post
For years, since 1944 the Trading Post on Wall Street in Eagle River was a landmark, with glitzy tourist items, children's things, postcards, you name it. It was sold in 2016 to David and Connie Justice and completely remodeled. Still a tourist shop, it is now tastefully decorated, most of the junk removed, and a nicer line of goods installed. It's nice to see the tradition continued, updated for different times!
Red Owl
There was a Red Owl “franchised agency” grocery store in town in 1961 according to Backward Glances in the Vilas County News-Review, August 4, 2021 (60 Years Ago–1961).
Zimplemann's Soda Fountain
Backward Glances in the August 18, 2021, Vilas County News-Review 50 Years Ago, 1971, contained:
Eagle River area residents were mourning the passing of Carl Zimplemann, the 1920 co-founder of Zimplemann's Soda Fountain, affectionately known by its generations of devotees as "Zimp's."