Enjoy every northwoods season at Long Lake North,
Phillips, Wisconsin
Price County, Wisconsin: Today
Located in north central Wisconsin, midway between
Hayward and Minocqua, Price County is home to a variety of
natural resources. The abundance of woods and waters
provides endless outdoor recreational opportunities. With
hundreds of miles of motorized and non-motorized trails,
150,000 acres of Chequamegon Nicolet National Forest,
30,000 acres of State forest land, 92,000 acres of County
forest land, and 18,000 acres of water, including 98 lakes, 45
streams, three major rivers and six county parks, it is not
difficult to understand why your next vacation should be in
Price County.
Price County, Wisconsin: History
As late as the early 1800′s, native Chippewa Tribes occupied
a point of land on the east side of Elk lake from time to time.
The area was popular with them and was often used for
ceremonies and as a burial ground.
Shortly after the Civil War, the U.S. War Department became
concerned about the safety of our Canadian border and
ordered a rail line to be built from southern Wisconsin to
Lake Superior. The Wisconsin Central Railroad Company
brought the town we now call Phillips into existence shortly
after the Civil War. Along with the railroad being added to
the area, lumbermen needed an improvement to river
transportation for their products. Elijah B. Phillips and
Charles Colby were chosen as the builders. The Phillips and
Colby Construction Company was formed, and Phillips
became the general manager.
The lands which became Price County were a part of the vast
pine covered area of Northern Wisconsin. This valuable
timber was attracting attention in the 1870′s because lumber
was in great demand. Our numerous rivers (part of the
Chippewa and Wisconsin River network), the steady
northward advancement of the Wisconsin Central Railroad,
and the sawmills & tanneries soon made Price County the
center of logging and lumbering operations. The supposedly
inexhaustible forests did not last long, though. In 25 years,
most of the pine was gone and with it, the romantic era of
logging. The trees that had stood for centuries provided
necessary materials for the expansion of the western frontier
and growth for our nation.
Price County was created on March 3rd, 1879, when
Wisconsin Governor William E. Smith signed Chapter 103,
Laws of 1879. Mr. W. T. Price, for whom Price County was
named, was President of the Wisconsin Senate and an early
logger in Price County. The original boundaries, a near
perfect rectangle, 31 miles wide and 42 miles long, still
remain.