Flambeau Trail – Manitowish
Iron County Heritage Area
By the turn of the century, the “inexhaustible” stands of white pine had been cut from northern Wisconsin and floated to sawmills down waterways like the Manitowish River.
Lumberman William Henry Roddis was one of the first to recognize the value of the area’s untouched virgin stands of hardwood timber. But hardwood timber, unlike pine, did not float. It could not be “driven” downriver to mills.
Roddis pioneered the use of railroads to transport logs rather than rivers. By 1903, his “Roddis Line” logging railroad was a growing network of mainline track and spur routes that connected logging camps deep in the forest to lumber mills.
Roddis established a logging mill here that operated through the mid-1930’s and established Manitowish as a shipping point for timber.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1903.
Location. 46° 7.943′ N, 90° 0.763′ W. Marker is in Manitowish, Wisconsin, in Iron County. Marker is at the intersection of Manitowish Road
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 10 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Flambeau Trail – The Mercer Depot (approx. 3.4 miles away); Flambeau Trail – Turtle Portage (approx. 3˝ miles away); The Rest Lake Dam Story (approx. 6.1 miles away); River Rats & Peavey Men (approx. 6.1 miles away); Flambeau Trail – Two Ways to Go (approx. 7.2 miles away); Roddis Line – Lake of the Falls (approx. 7.2 miles away); Pinery Road - The Legend (approx. 7.9 miles away); Flambeau Trail – Continental Divide (approx. 9.3 miles away).
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on August 1, 2011, by Paul Fehrenbach of Germantown, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 456 times since then and 8 times this year. Last updated on August 4, 2011, by Paul Fehrenbach of Germantown, Wisconsin. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 1, 2011, by Paul Fehrenbach of Germantown, Wisconsin. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.