LAND O'LAKES

Region: Watersmeet area

The heart of this comfortable and rather spiffy Wisconsin resort village lies about a mile west of U.S. 45 along Highway B. Land O'Lakes goes back to the mill town that grew up in the 1870s around one of northern Wisconsin's largest sawmills. When the Mason-Donaldson company took over the mill in 1905, the postal name briefly became Donaldson. But in 1908 the entire place burned. The town was rebuilt to the east along County Road B, on the railroad and right on the state line, where it is today. (Today the huge Nagel Lumber Company west of town on B harkens back to the area's lumbering past. After several crises, it is again back in operation.)
The relocated town's new name was Stateline. Straddling the state line enabled local businesses to conveniently circumvent various Michigan and Wisconsin regulations by locating their operations just over one state line or the other.

In 1926 pioneering resort operator and civic leader George Sinclair came back from a Chicago outdoor show, met with local summer people, and successfully petitioned for another name change - to "Land O'Lakes." He figured a more poetic name would speed along the town's transition from a declining lumber town to an up-and-coming resort. It's not to be confused with the famous "Land O'Lakes" butter brand. which earlier had been developed by a Minnesota dairy co-op. Today Land O'Lakes creamery has a sleek headquarters in St. Paul.

A detailed Land O'Lakes/Vilas County area history is online at www.landolakes-wi.com. Much more local history, and an outstanding photo archive of lumbering operations, old resorts, and more, is at www.landolakeshistory.org and on view in summer at the Northern Waters Museum.

The Gateway Golf Course and gas station/restaurant at the intersection of Highway B and U.S. 45 actually straddle the state line. So does Lac Vieux Desert, the large (4,300-acre) lake east of town. Known for its huge fish, the lake has yielded the world's record muskie and tiger muskie. Muskie fishing is catch-and-release, but anglers can keep trophy fish over 45". Rick Whitehead's Rangers Guide Service operates on the lake. For fishing reports, see his web site, www.bigstinkyfish.com. In ice fishing season there can be 400 vehicles on the lake at a time. For summer enjoyment, a new paved 8-mile bike path heads west out of town along County Road B, passing the shopping district and entering a wooded area.

In 2002 the Conserve School (www.conserveschool.org), a private coeducational boarding school, opened on part of the 1,200-acre estate of the late industrialist James Lowenstine. His dream was to start a school that would emphasize environmental stewardship and ethical decision-making. The concept has clicked: enrollment is near 150. Students come from all over the Midwest and several foreign countries. Its grounds are closed to the public.

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PLACES AROUND LAND O'LAKES TO

Eat Sleep Camp