People of Star Lake
The people of Star Lake fall into several categories, beginning with the oldtimers who first arrived in the logging era. None of them are left now. Most moved away, of course, but some stayed and have since passed away. Some of their families remained after them, but as the new century begins only two of the original families are still represented at Star Lake: The Olsons who have three generations of permanent residents in the community, and the Myklebys who own a home but are only vacation and weekend visitors.
Among the very early residents was a Native American community on Partridge Lake, which continued into the 21st Century, but is now deserted (2018)
Other permanent residents have come, and they make a small but thriving community. While some of their families date to before World War II, most arrived more recently. Some work in Star Lake, but most work in the nearby communities.
During the summer, summer residents outnumber permanent residents. These include visitors to the resorts and campgrounds, as well as summer cottage owners most of whom began as summer visitors to the resorts and campgrounds. The Forbes family, beginning with my grandparents Robert and Mary Forbes, is not atypical: they arrived in 1908 as guests at the Hotel Waldheim, bought land and built a cottage on Star Lake in 1932, and now are represented by three generations with cabins on both Star Lake and Ballard.
Star Lake has seen its population increase as people have chosen it as a retirement community. Generally these are summer residents that have made the transition to year-round residents.
One of the goals of this history project is to tell the story of the families and people of Star Lake. The permanent residents are listed under this heading. The summer residents are listed under the heading The Cottagers of Star Lake, Wisconsin.
If your family's story should be told here, please contact Charles Forbes, the Webmaster, by email at webmaster@starlake.org. We are eager to have everybody's story told!
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