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The Milwaukee Road

It was the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad that laid the rails to Star Lake in 1894-1895. Star Lake was the end of the line for the Lakes Division of the Milwaukee Road until about 1940 and the onset of World War II. The line came up from its previous terminus in Minocqua, and was soon extended on to Boulder Junction and on into Michigan. In the early twentieth century rails were extended directly from Arbor Vitae to Boulder Jct. and service from Star Lake ot Boulder Jct. ceased.

The Minocqua Times of June 5, 1895, states: "The passenger train now runs as far as this place [Star Lake] daily except Sunday and the train crew lays over here." Times

Charles P. Forbes
July 26, 2012

**** indicates no known author.

Comprehensive References

Filtz, Andrew. By Wisconsin Valley Line to the Northwoods. [The Milwaukee Railroader, Vol. 40, #1, 1st Qtr, 2010, pp. 4-19] Antioch, IL, 2010. View Full Entry

Major References

****. Anglers Traveled the Fisherman's Special. [The First 100 Years, 1888-1988, Centennial Edition, p.155] Minocqua, 1988. View Full Entry
****. Haunts in the Wild Woods. [The Dial, A semi-Monthly Journal of Literary Criticism, Discussion, and Information, Vol. 26, # 309, May 1, 1899, p. 319.] Chicago, 1899. View Full Entry (Full text available)
****. Wreck on the C.M. & St.P. Ry. [Scrobell, Early Times, 1988; Orig. Minocqua Times September 3, 1903] Minocqua, 1988. View Full Entry
****. Day in the Country. [Chicago Tribune, June 14, 1901, p. 5] Chicago, 1901. View Full Entry (Full text available)
****. Forest Fires Do Damage. [Montreat River Miner and Iron County Republican, July 15, 1910, p. 1.] Hurley, 1910. View Full Entry
****. Region Seven Canoe Base. [From the WorldWide Web] 1980. View Full Entry (Full text available)
****. Railroad News. [The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, IA 7 Nov. 1900, p. 8.] Cedar Rapids, 1900. View Full Entry
****. Railroads: Milwaukee's Wisconsin Plans. [The Minneapolis Journal, Aug. 23, 1904, p. 5.] Minneapolis, 1904. View Full Entry (Full text available)
****. Special Train Service. [Rhinelander Daily News, Nov. 30, 1928, p. 2.] Rhinelander, 1928. View Full Entry (Full text available)
****. Star Lake. [Eagle River Review, May 23, 1895. p. 5] Eagle River, 1895. View Full Entry (Full text available)
****. Village of Star Lake, Wis., Nearly Wiped Out by Forest Fires. [Sious City Journal, July 3, 1910, p. 1.] Sioux Cityk, Iowa, 1910. View Full Entry (Full text available)
****. Wisconsin Railroads. [4 CDs] Wisconsin, n.d.. View Full Entry
Barney,, Chris. Ghostly Post. [The Tomah Journal, Dec. 27, 2012; orig. in Badger Postal History Journal, 2011.] Wisconsin, 2012. View Full Entry
Bopf, Della. Hiawatha Legend. [Wausau Regional Writers Anthology, Vol. 1, 1974, pp. 145-151. [Biblio # 2089]] Stevens Point, 1974. View Full Entry
Brandenburg, John. Bearskin State Park Trail. [Original and a Revised and Reprinted edition] Boulder Junction, 1999. View Full Entry
Burg and Storozuk. Route of the North Woods Hiawatha. Merrill, 2010. View Full Entry
Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway. Fisherman's Special. [Display ad, 2-column, roughly square. Chicago Tribune, June 12, 1919, p. 17.] Chicago, 1919. View Full Entry
Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway. Good Fishing in the North Country. [The Inter Ocean, June 18, 1912.] Chicago, 1912. View Full Entry
Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway. Plan Your Vacation Now. [The Inter Ocean, Display Ad, 2- column, June 2, 1913, p. 2.] Chicago, 1913. View Full Entry
Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway. Star Lake Country of Northern Wisconsin, The. [Chicago Tribune, July. 21, 1909, p. 9.] Chicago, 1909. View Full Entry
Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad. Northern Wisconsin and Upper Michigan. [Brochure] Chicago, 1934. View Full Entry
Christensen, John. Northwoods Life. [Memoirs, 1915-1942.] Trout Lake, Wisconsin, 2005. View Full Entry
Doolittle, Michelle. Backward Glances [Undated Photo: Train Arrives...Star Lake]. [Vilas County News-Review, Aug. 29, 2018, p. 5B] Eagle River, 2018. View Full Entry
Dunn, Michael. Logging Activities Around the Manitowish Waters Area. [Unpublished paper on the Manitowish Waters Historical Society Webpage] Manitowish Waters, 2017. View Full Entry (Full text available)
Ellerman, Cecelia. Franklin Loves Remember Star Lake as Busy Logging Town. [Vilas County News-Review, [Unk date] 1969.] Eagle River, 1969. View Full Entry
Filtz, Andrew. Along the Milwaukee Way: Wausaw, Wisconsin. [The Milwaukee Railroader, Vol. 40, #1, 1st Qtr, 2010, pp. 30-39] Antioch, IL, 2010. View Full Entry
Gould, F[rank] A.. Star Lake, Wisconsin, Forty Years Old December, 1934. [The Milwaukee [Railroad] Magazine, January, 1935.] Milwaukee, 1935. View Full Entry (Full text available)
Hooper, C. W., ed.. A special train..... [Minocqua Times, June 17, 1897] Minocqua, 1897. View Full Entry (Full text available)
Hooper, C. W., ed.. Railroad Extension to Star Lake. [Scrobell, Early Times, 1988; Orig. Minocqua Times August 1, 1894] Minocqua, 1988. View Full Entry
Hooper, C. W., ed.. Star Lake. [Minocqua Times November 20, 1895.] Minocqua, 1895. View Full Entry (Full text available)
Hooper, C. W., ed.. Star Lake, the present terminus.... [Scrobell, Early Times, 1988; Orig. Minocqua Times August 29, 1894] Minocqua, 1988. View Full Entry (Full text available)
Hooper, C.H., ed.. ...Mercer has the contract.... [Minocqua Times, August 22, 1894] Minocqua, 1894. View Full Entry (Full text available)
Interstate Commerce Commission. C,M,St.P,&P Railroad Trustees Abandonment. [Finance Docket No. 14001, Submitted June 9, 1943, Decided July 24, 1943.] Washington, 1943. View Full Entry (Full text available)
Kaysen, James. Railroads of Wisconsin, 1827-1937.. Boston, MA, 1937. View Full Entry
McBride, Elizabeth. Riding the Rails. [Wisconsin Trails, September/October 1995] Madison, 1995. View Full Entry
Milwaukee Road, The. Timetable. [1902, May-June 1939, Oct. 30, 1955] Chicago, . View Full Entry
Murray, Tom. Milwaukee Road. St. Paul, 2005. View Full Entry
Myers et al.. Railroad Spurred Minocqua's Growth. [The First 100 Years, 1888-1988, Minocqua-Woodruff Centennial Edition] Minocqua, 1988. View Full Entry
Rohe, Randall. Star Lake From Boom Town to Ghost Town. [Proceedings of the 17th Annual Meeting of the Forest History Assn. of Wis. Inc.] Eagle River, 1992. View Full Entry
Rohe, Randall. Star Lake. [Ghosts of the Forest, Vanished Lumber Towns of Wisconsim. Vol I] Marinette, 2002. View Full Entry
Sasse, Timothy. Vilas County Logging Companies’ Railroad Operations. [Edit by Charles P. Forbes of webpage material (2000) and additional material from Mr. Sasse (2014).] Star Lake, 2020. View Full Entry (Full text available)
Schafer, Mike. Milwaukee Road to the Northwoods. [The Milwaukee Railroader, 2nd Qtr, 1999.] Antioch, IL, 1999. View Full Entry
Schmidt, Floyd. Switch Lamps in the Pines. Eagle River, 2009. View Full Entry
Scribbins, Jim. Milwaukee Road Remembered, A Fresh Look at an Unusual Railroad. Waukesha, Wisconsin, 1990. View Full Entry
Scribbins, Jim. Passenger Service to the North Woods. [The Milwaukee Railroader, Vol. 40, #1, 1st Qtr, 2010, pp. 20--29] Antioch, IL, 2010. View Full Entry
Scrobell, Daniel. New Rail Line to Trout Lake. [Scrobell, Early Times, 1988; Orig. Minocqua Times August 3, 1905] Minocqua, 1988. View Full Entry
Scrobell, Daniel. Passenger Train Service. [Scrobell: Early Times, Reprints from the Minocqua Times December 19, 1907.] Minocqua, 1988. View Full Entry (Full text available)
Seidel, Sephanie. Frerickson's Minnows. [Lakeland Times, Outdoors, July 24, 1992, Pp. 2 & 4.] Minocqua, 1992. View Full Entry
Specht, Raymond. Lumber Industry Drove Milwaukee Road. [The First 100 Years, 1888-1988, Centennial Edition, p. 89.] Minocqua, 1988. View Full Entry
Taylor, Edward. Black Bass Fishing. [The Inter Ocean, Aug. 31, 1896, p. 7.] Chicago, 1896. View Full Entry (Full text available)

Minor References

****. Star Lake [map]. [Lake Survey Map (Wisconsin)] Wausau, . View Full Entry
****. Walter S. Goodhue, Bert..... [The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, IA, May 22, 1901, p. 2.] Cedar Rapids, 1901. View Full Entry (Full text available)
Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway. To Lakeland for Your Vacation. [Chicago Tribune, June 30, 1903, p. 10.] Chicago, 1903. View Full Entry (Full text available)
Goodspeed, Charles T.B.. Thomas Wakefield Goodspeed. [Kessinger Legacy Reprintsd] Chicago, 2010. View Full Entry (Full text available)
Hooper, C. W., ed.. The Star Lake train was.... [Minocqua Times, June 4, 1896] Minocqua, 1896. View Full Entry (Full text available)
Idler. Star Lake Breezes. [Minocqua Times, April 16, 1896] Minocqua, 1896. View Full Entry (Full text available)
Idler. Star Lake Breezes. [Minocqua Times, May 7, 1896] Minocqua, 1896. View Full Entry (Full text available)
Sprayer. Star Lake Sprays. [Minocqua Times January 8, 1896] Minocqua, 1896. View Full Entry (Full text available)
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