Mercer in Iron County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Flambeau Trail – Two Ways to Go
Iron County Heritage Area
Photographed By Paul Fehrenbach, August 22, 2011
1. Flambeau Trail – Two Ways to Go Marker
Inscription.
Flambeau Trail – Two Ways to Go. Iron County Heritage Area. In days of yesteryear, traveling south on the Flambeau Trail, you arrived at Big Turtle Lake (now Echo Lake) and Little Turtle Lake (now called either Grand Portage Lake or Tank Lake) to what is now Mercer. At Echo Lake you had a choice depending on the mission of your travel.
You could continue south, following the ancient Native American and voyageur route making a portage from Echo Lake to Grand Portage Lake across to Mercer Lake and then a four mile portage to the Manitowish River.
You could also continue on the Turtle River. From the late 1800s to the early 1900s loggers used this as a water highway to float pine logs down river past Lake of the Falls, to the booming lumber towns of Park Falls, Chippewa Falls, Eau Claire, and on to the mighty Mississippi River.
From this point a traveler using these water highways had access to the Gulf of Mexico, New Orleans, and the Atlantic Ocean. This water highway became a major transportation link and opened the region to international trade early in its history.
In days of yesteryear, traveling south on the Flambeau Trail, you arrived at Big Turtle Lake (now Echo Lake) and Little Turtle Lake (now called either Grand Portage Lake or Tank Lake) to what is now Mercer. At Echo Lake you had a choice depending on the mission of your travel.
You could continue south, following the ancient Native American and voyageur route making a portage from Echo Lake to Grand Portage Lake across to Mercer Lake and then a four mile portage to the Manitowish River.
You could also continue on the Turtle River. From the late 1800s to the early 1900s loggers used this as a water highway to float pine logs down river past Lake of the Falls, to the booming lumber towns of Park Falls, Chippewa Falls, Eau Claire, and on to the mighty Mississippi River.
From this point a traveler using these water highways had access to the Gulf of Mexico, New Orleans, and the Atlantic Ocean. This water highway became a major transportation link and opened the region to international trade early in its history.
Location. 46° 8.977′ N, 90° 9.609′ W. Marker is in Mercer, Wisconsin, in Iron County.
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Marker can be reached from County Route FF, 4 miles west of U.S. 51. Marker is located in Lake of the Falls County Park at the boat launch. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Mercer WI 54547, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on August 30, 2011, by Paul Fehrenbach of Germantown, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 606 times since then and 26 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on August 30, 2011, by Paul Fehrenbach of Germantown, Wisconsin. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
