The Crandon Area Historical Society is excited to announce the release of the first episode of our local history podcast titled Tree Rings, produced and hosted by Isak Drangstveit and Bryce Marshall.
This premiere episode features the story of the 1918 Spanish flu and its impact on Forest county residents over a century ago. Hosts Isak and Bryce share with listeners the research they conducted on the Spanish Flu outbreak in Forest County and the key players involved in the prevention of the spread of the 1918 flu. As part of their research, they interview historical society member Jackie Aszman regarding some of the stories she uncovered while conducting her own research on the pandemic. Finally, Isak and Bryce interview current members of the Forest county Board of Health to gain insight into the similarities and differences of the two pandemics in Forest County.
Its name may say “historical,” but the Crandon Area Historical Society is taking advantage of current trends to allow secure and convenient technology for its Membership Campaign. For the first time since the Society was established, individuals and businesses may now join the society or renew their memberships online.
To use the online payment feature from the Society’s website, www.crandonareahistory.org, go to the “Membership” page, scroll down and click on the appropriate “Membership” of “Donate” button. Individuals can renew memberships or become a new member using a major credit card or an existing PayPal account.
The Society’s Board of Directors thanks residents and businesses who have supported the historical society in the past. Annual membership dues enable the Society to maintain its Historic Carter House Museum, present educational programs, and grow and maintain its archives, which contains well over 1,000 items pertaining to the history of Forest County.
To stay current on the activities and programs of the historical society, please visit our website at www.crandonareahistory.org and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
After a couple months of sitting empty, like so many things during COVID-19, the Historical Society case at the Crandon Public Library has a new display. The theme, BOOKS BUILD BETTER BRAINS, encourages reading to children to bring knowledge, wonder and joy into their lives. The books featured are mostly children’s books from the 1940’s but the Peter Rabbit book was printed in 1912. The homemade blocks show the wear and tear of many childhood building projects. Looking at the books in the display may bring back memories of some of your childhood favorites.
The Society is looking forward to next year, when hopefully we can again celebrate the Christmas season with vintage decorations in the museum at the Carter House Museum. We wish all a Blessed and safe Christmas Season.
The Forest County Historical and Genealogical Society dba Crandon Area Historical Society is inviting its members and anyone interested in becoming a member to attend their annual meeting scheduled for Thursday, November 19, 2020.
Due to current guidelines limiting gatherings, this meeting will be held virtually using the Zoom app. Simply download the app on your computer, tablet, or phone. Send us an email request by November 18 and we will send you the link before the meeting begins. The email address to send your request is: forestctyhistory@gmail.com. The meeting will begin at 6:00 p.m.
The Forest County Historical and Genealogical Society is a nonprofit organization founded in 1973. Its purpose is to promote Forest County history and preserve archival materials.
Tired of staying in? Looking for something to do this summer? The Crandon Historical Society after careful consideration has decided to reopen the Carter House Museum, located on the corner of Hazeldell and Jackson streets for public viewing.
The Carter House dates back to the year 1902. It has been used as a church, hall and mission. In 1920 it was sold to Henry Carter and remained in the Carter family until 1994 when it was purchased by the historical society.
Discover what life was like during the 1900’s. Come see the old school room. Learn about the making of maple syrup and moonshine. Displays are ever-changing and are sure to bring back memories for the young at heart and a chance for kids to learn what it was like in the “olden days”.
The museum will be open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Due to the pandemic, hand sanitizer and masks will be available. Social distancing is required and admittance will be limited.
An Eagle Service Project, the culmination of a Scout’s
commitment to an intensive advancement program, must demonstrate leadership of
others while benefitting the scout’s community, school or another non-profit
organization. It is estimated that Eagle
Projects contribute approximately 3 million hours of community service every
year.
Local veteran’s-service organizations have loyally marked the graves of servicemen at Lakeside for many years but the lists they use to locate the graves are incomplete, inaccurate and confusing. With the guidance of local UW-Madison Division of Extension Positive Youth Development Educator and Historical Society president, Michelle Gobert, Bradley reviewed those outdated materials and lead family members and his fellow Scouts from Crandon Troop 649 in confirming and correcting information on-site. He then developed an online database that includes the block and lot location of each veteran.
The main point of Bradley’s presentation was that his
project is not a finished product, rather it provides a base for more
information and corrections to the existing list. “There are actually people that are on the
list who don’t belong there and a LOT who should be on the list but are not”,
he said. The Society is hoping to
schedule some organized efforts to continue Bradley’s work. In the meantime, we encourage the public to
visit the site. Visitors can search for
friends and family members and will find a form on which they can provide
additions and corrections.
Searching the database is easy. The database is online and veterans are listed by lot number but can be easily searched by last name. While the primary goal of the list is to provide a more accurate and complete tool for locating graves, the database has future potential to store biographies, obituaries and other documents pertaining these brave men and women. The database also includes a suggestion form for capturing information that may be missing from the database. Please direct any questions about the project and/or the database to Michelle at 715-478-7797 or forestctyhistory@gmail.com
I hope you are enjoying these stories of Metonga as much as I enjoy writing them. I apologize for the brief break over the past two weeks, but somehow the Metonga stories ended up at the bottom of my to-do list. The good news is that the Metonga series was pushed to the bottom due to some other really important historical happenings in Forest County we’ve been working on! More about this soon – but until then, enjoy the photos below.
Our next stop in the “Lakeland Series” from March of 1887, is what the author of the newspaper column referred to as “Echo Bay”.
Forest Republican. March 1887.
When I started this research project, I was bound and determined to find a map and/or another resources that positively identified the area known as Echo Bay. Unfortunately, I have not yet been able to find any other reference to “Echo Bay” in print. However, based on the newspaper article in its entirety, the area known as Echo Bay has been identified as the area we now commonly call Glen Park.
In fact, the area more than likely has been called Glen Park since shortly after this article was published in March of 1887. Glen Park, on the North Shore of Lake Metonga, was purchased by one of Crandon’s earliest pioneers, Sam Shaw and eventually platted in the Register of Deeds office as the Glen Park addition.
The history of Metonga and Samuel Shaw are intertwined so I feel its important to give you a brief description of what some refer to as the “father of Crandon”. Sam Shaw’s obituary, published on March 9, 1917, in the Forest Republican defined him as the “founder of our town” and states that “his faith in Forest county was unbounded and is justified by the gains he has made from his investment of early days”. The Antigo newspaper took a more conservative approach and pointed to not only Samuel Shaw’s friends but also his enemies. It’s important to point out that numerous Forest County debates, including the fate of our current courthouse and fairgrounds, are the direct result of Sam Shaw’s knowledge of property law.
Forest Republican. March 9, 1917
Antigo Journal, March 1917
According to a April 1975, Forest Republican article Samuel Shaw’s first house in Crandon was a log building that stood on the same property on which his bigger house was built later. It is possible that these cabins, which eventually became part of the Lake Metonga Camp, were Shaw’s original log cabins.
Crandon Area Historical Society collectionCrandon Area Historical Society collection
Glen Park Hotel. Crandon Area Historical Society collection.
Samuel Shaw’s Glen Park, a a total of 170 acres of land and his residence, was sold to Dr. and Mrs. C.O. Decker in 1910 for $22,400. The Decker’s re-named the resort complex “Lake Metonga Camp” in 1922.
Forest Republican. March 3, 1922.
Numerous photos of Lake Metonga Camp exist in our collection.
Dr. Decker passed away in 1934 and his
obituary lists the Lake Metonga Camp
as the largest resort in Forest county.
Mrs. Decker continued to operate the resort until 1941 when she sold it
to Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Ludwig who operated it as the Lake Metonga
Lodge.
Lake Metonga Lodge changed hands again from the Ludwigs to a
partnership that included Rosa Ammer (who later owned the Crandon Arcade),
Archie Orlebeck and
Tony Paris, and then finally to the Keeler’s when it become Keeler’s Resort in
1946.
