Local Features

This week on A Northwoods Moment in History , local historian Gary Entz tells us how the town of St. Germain got its name. The town of St. Germain in Vilas County today is a popular tourist destination, and many people go there to see the statue of Chief St. Germaine. St. Germain, however, is French. So where did the name come from? In the early 17 th century, Samuel de Champlain, governor of New France, sent explorers into the Great Lakes looking for a water route to the Pacific Ocean. They

In this month's episode of Field Notes , Susan Knight of UW-Madison’s Trout Lake Station talks about that annoying summer problem, “Swimmer’s Itch” and how we can avoid it. Last September, I was on one of my favorite lakes collecting aquatic plants for plant identification workshops I present over the winter. Later than night, my hands started to itch, and I could see little welts all over my hands and arms. Swimmers Itch! I haven’t had this too often, and since only my hands and arms were

This Sunday, August 12th, Treehaven College of Natural Resources in Tomahawk is celebrating the installation of a labyrinth on their grounds. Mackenzie Martin talked to the UW-Stevens Point student behind the project about how it came to be. Meghan Wagner remembers the moment she became obsessed with labyrinths. It was last summer. She was studying abroad in Ireland. “We walked probably seven or eight labyrinths and I found a few on my own that I went to explore,” she says. “And the first one we

This week on A Northwoods Moment in History , we're talking about National Prohibition in 1920. It was a time that some Forest County residents weren't a huge fan of. Local historian Gary Entz explains how it all went down. The Volstead Act, otherwise known as National Prohibition, took effect in 1920. In order to enforce prohibition, the federal government established the Bureau of Prohibition and sent Revenue Agents out across the country in order to take down bootlegging rings and to shut

Summer is in full swing, but believe it or not, the first of our fall hunting seasons are only a month or so away. In this episode of Wildlife Matters , the Masked Biologist looks at one of our state’s newer hunting seasons, the mourning dove season. Like many little boys, I had a BB gun growing up, as did my brothers. Dad had lists of birds that we could shoot or not shoot. Pigeons, grackles, and starlings were permissible to shoot. Pretty much all other birds were not allowed, and rightfully

Wisconsin’s oldest marathon – the Paavo Nurmi - is celebrating 50 years this Saturday, August 11th. Just ahead, the story of a woman who is finally running the full marathon, 50 years after deciding to do it. WXPR’s Larry Lapachin has the story. Larry Lapachin and Enni Gregas will both be running in the Paavo Nurmi this weekend. 27 years ago, Enni was Larry’s high school English teacher in Ironwood, Michigan. They recently reconnected through running. This story is part of our We Live Up Here

This week on A Northwoods Moment in History , local historian Gary Entz takes us back to a rather bizarre incident that took place in downtown Rhinelander in 1925. When we think about history and how people lived in earlier times we often reminisce about less complicated days. It is often said that people lived simpler, more innocent lives in the past. Of course, this is true only when we view the past through the lens of nostalgia, which evokes a wistful feeling for a romanticized past. The

Wisconsin may have an increasing number of cougar observations, but at this time there is only one confirmed resident feline species that occupies the state and reproduces here on an annual basis. In this week's episode of Wildlife Matters , the Masked Biologist discusses the bobcat. I like to follow our local “full-service” wildlife rehabilitator, Wild Instincts, on Facebook. At last report they were up to three bobcat kits in their care. In my years as a biologist in Wisconsin, I have only

Last weekend was the Kentuck Day Festival, a festival held in Crandon each year that celebrates Forest County's early settlers from Kentucky. It’s been held every July for the past 48 years. In the week leading up to the festival, there was something new added this year, though: a Kentuck Heritage Day Camp. Mackenzie Martin has the story. The focus of the Kentuck Heritage Day Camp is to share the history of Forest County with the younger generation. Nine kids participated in the camp, ages 9-12.

In 1945, a young man from Three Lakes was among the soldiers serving in the 14 th Armored Division, and earned himself a unique place in the history books. Local historian Gary Entz has the story in this week's episode of A Northwoods Moment in History. During World War II, the 14 th Armored Division of the United States Army was assigned to the Seventh Army of the Sixth Army Group. This division served with distinction during the war and earned the nicknamed “the Liberators” for its actions in