Rice Lake in Barron County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Rice Lake, a City Built of Lumber
A Chronology
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 17, 2018
1. Rice Lake, a City Built of Lumber Marker
1901 The Knapp Stout era was over. The Knapp Stout holdings were sold to the Rice Lake Lumber Company, which later was known as the largest hardwood mill in the country.
1906 The Rice Lake Excelsior Co. arrived on the scene in its present location. It merged with other firms in 1929 to form American Excelsior Co.
1916 William Stein purchased a portion of the lumbering company property.
1919 The Rice Lake Lumber Company is purchased by the Edward Hines Hardwood & Hemlock Company of Chicago. The Hines Lumber Company also owned and operated the Park Falls Lumber Company. From 1919-1924 the mill was operated as the Park Falls Lumber Co.
1934 The Edward Hines Lumber Co. Mill burns; ending a 70 year logging & lumbering industry.
1993 Stein property donated by Norman Stein as the site of the National Lumbering Hall of Fame.
1998 The building utilized by Stein Bros. Steel as an office center, constructed in 1887 as Hardware Store & Tin Shop destroyed by arson.
2008 A joint endeavor involving Barron County, Dept. of Natural Resources, Rice Lake Protection & Rehabilitation District, and the Lumbering Hall of Fame united efforts to develop a boat landing, bathrooms, parking area and a landscaped park.
Erected by
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1901.
Location. 45° 29.895′ N, 91° 43.887′ W. Marker is in Rice Lake, Wisconsin, in Barron County. Marker can be reached from Stein Street east of South Main Street (County Road SS), on the right when traveling east. Rightmost of two markers in kiosk on east side of the Lumbering Hall of Fame & Boat Landing parking lot. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 100 Stein Street, Rice Lake WI 54868, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 6 other markers are within 9 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Logging and Lumbering in the Rice Lake Area (here, next to this marker); The Mystery of the Concrete Pillars (within shouting distance of this marker); Lentz Steam Engine (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church (approx. 4˝ miles away); The Tuscobia Trail (approx. 5.3 miles away); Erected to the Memory of John Quaderer (approx. 9 miles away).
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Rice Lake, Wisconsin Lumbering History
Also see . . . Rice Lake, Wisconsin - A Brief History. The village was platted in 1870, 1875 and 1884 by Knapp, Stout
Courtesy Bruce Ward & Chronotype Publishing
2. Marker detail: Mill Building & Dam
Courtesy Bruce Ward & Chronotype Publishing
3. Marker detail: Rice Lake Lumber Company Mill
Courtesy Bruce Ward & Chronotype Publishing
4. Marker detail: Rice Lake Lumber Company Mill
A view of the Rice Lake Lumber Company Mill, taken from a high vantage point. A formation of logs sits in the river while piles of finished boards sit in the foreground.
Courtesy Bruce Ward & Chronotype Publishing
5. Marker detail: Milling Lumber
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 17, 2018
6. National Lumbering Hall of Fame Interpretive Kiosk
Credits. This page was last revised on February 13, 2022. It was originally submitted on December 4, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 371 times since then and 31 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on December 4, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
