Manitowish Waters began as a collection of early twentieth century resorts, accessed by either the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad or the Milwaukee Road. It is centered on the Manitowish Chain of Lakes. The present "business district" lies east of U.S. Highway 51 and north of Rest Lake, one of the lakes of the chain. It began with a grocery and hardware store in the 1930's.

For a history of the Manitowish Waters area read .Where It Happened. The town was originally called Spider Lake and changed its name to Manitowish Waters in 1939 (according to a note in the Vilas County News Review Backward Glances. [70 Years Ago] Dec. 30, 2009).

Today, Manitowish Waters is knows for its cranberry marshes, and tours of the marshes are regularly available. (Contact the Chamber of Commerce.) See Cranberry Colorama for a brief overview of the cranberry marshes.

The North Lakeland Discovery Center offers extensive programs on wildlife, birds, ecology and the outdoors at a 66-acre site, formerly the location of a Youth Conservation Corps Camp. (Address: 215 County Highway W, Manitowish Waters, WI 54545.

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Comprehensive References

Major References

Minor References

• Little Bohemia Lodge

Bird City Wisconsin

In 2011 Manitowish Waters was among the inaugral group of cities and towns in Wisconsin designated a "Bird City Wisconsin." Reference: contains a photograph of the town sign with the Bird City Wisconsin designation. See also: DNR and DNR. The paper edition of the last reference contains a picture of the Manitowish Waters Bird City sign. The picture is not in the on-line edition.