The formation of what was to become Phelps stated before the turn of the century. Tow men, B. R. Thompson and J. A. Bonnell, saw the vast natural forests in the area and, on Feb. 9, 1896, they incorporated the Thompson and Bonnell Lumber Co.

Following that start, the Wisconsin Lumber and Bark Co. was incorporated Dec. 28, 1901. The incorporators were John Bonnell, William A. Phelps, Charles A. Phelps, Charles H. Hackley, Otis A. Felger, Dustin Oakes and George C. Covell.

As the lumbering operation began, it was aided by the fact that, by the turn of the century, the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad laid tracks into the area that was to become known as The Great North Woods. In 1905, a final railroad spur from Conover to Phelps was completed, thus helping the shipment of lumber.

The town was initially named Hackley, but because of the confusion created by another Wisconsin town named Hatley, the Hackley name was changed to Phelps in 1912. In 1928, the Hackley-Phelps-Bonnell Co. was dissolved and the assets were purchased by C. M. Christiansen and his wife, Leta. Under Christiansen, the lumber mill prospered and eventually was the main root of providing nearly 400 jobs for families, including mill workers, staff, loggers, truckers and numerous craftsmen--ranking the operation as one of the largest in the entire nation.

"Were in not for C. M. Christiansen, there would be no town of Phelps..." said [Pauleyn] Nystrom, [member of the Board of the new Phelps Historical Museum, 2010].

Quoted from "Phelps Opens Historical Museum," Vilas County News-Review, Sept. 29, 2010, p. 3B.

Comprehensive References

Major References

• Northwoods Hospital
• Lac Vieux Desert
• Lac Vieux Desert
• Panoramic View
• Hackley: Panoramic View