Mercer in Iron County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Flambeau Trail Continental Divide
Iron County Heritage Area
Photographed by Paul Fehrenbach, August 23, 2011
1. Flambeau Trail – Continental Divide Marker
Inscription.
Flambeau Trail Continental Divide. Iron County Heritage Area. You are now standing on the “Continental Divide”, a geological demarcation line which splits Northern Wisconsin.
North of “The Divide”, rivers flow to Lake Superior and finally to the Atlantic Ocean. These waterways are full of rapids and waterfalls, making river travel impossible. To the south, navigable rivers flow to the Mississippi River and eventually the Gulf of Mexico.
Long Lake is the closest inland lake to this line. Traveling the “Flambeau Trail”, Native Americans and voyagers, who had to endure the 45 mile portage from Lake Superior, could load their goods into canoes at Long Lake. From there they could take advantage of easier canoe travel on the rivers and lakes that flowed south to Lac du Flambeau and beyond.
You are now standing on the “Continental Divide”, a geological demarcation line which splits Northern Wisconsin.
North of “The Divide”, rivers flow to Lake Superior and finally to the Atlantic Ocean. These waterways are full of rapids and waterfalls, making river travel impossible. To the south, navigable rivers flow to the Mississippi River and eventually the Gulf of Mexico.
Long Lake is the closest inland lake to this line. Traveling the “Flambeau Trail”, Native Americans and voyagers, who had to endure the 45 mile portage from Lake Superior, could load their goods into canoes at Long Lake. From there they could take advantage of easier canoe travel on the rivers and lakes that flowed south to Lac du Flambeau and beyond.
Location. 46° 13.802′ N, 90° 8.723′ W. Marker is in Mercer, Wisconsin, in Iron County. It is at the intersection of U.S. 51 and Moose Lake Road, on the right when traveling south on U.S. 51. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Mercer WI 54547, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Wisconsin’s Copper Country and on the North Shore. It is also in the American Midwest, on the Great Lakes, and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Great North Woods, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture and also the Northwest Territory.
Inset: The closest navigable waterway, south of the continental divide, was Long Lake. Native Americans, who developed the Flambeau Trail, knew this centuries before maps were developed. From Long Lake south, easier travel by canoe was possible. For those traveling north, Long Lake marked the end of the navigable waters. All further travel, once north of the divide, was on foot.
Photographed by Paul Fehrenbach, August 23, 2011
3. Flambeau Trail – Continental Divide Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on August 30, 2011, by Paul Fehrenbach of Richfield, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 1,657 times since then and 45 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on August 30, 2011, by Paul Fehrenbach of Richfield, Wisconsin. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
