Starlake Post Office

Starlake Post Office

The Starlake Post Office is the key institution of the town, giving the community its only official recognition of the name Star Lake --though the official spelling of the Post Office Department, now the United States Postal Service, is "Starlake"--one word.

Today the Post Office is a Community Post Office, i.e. a contract station subordinate to the Sayner postmaster. The contract operator is Garry Errington, who owns and operates the Star Lake Store in which the Post Office is located. The Post Office was established in 1895 with the appointment of the first postmaster, Allen E. Williams.

Star Lake Postmasters

  • Allen E. Williams, appointed August 17, 1895
  • Benjamin F. Wilson, appointed March 2, 1898
  • Herbert D. Wake, appointed October 19, 1910
  • Jacob O. Mykleby, appointed August 29, 1914 (deceased July 1, 1935)
  • Elsie Mykleby, acting August 3, 1935, apppointed February 17, 1936 (deceased December 17, 1959)
  • Lynne Haywood, acting July 1, 1960, appointed December 1, 1960. Name changed to Lynne Olson on PO records on October 5, 1961. Retired March 31, 1995.

Lynne was the last Starlake Postmaster.

A railway post office operated between Star Lake and New Lisbon from 1903 to 1915 and from 1934 to 1938. It's postmark read, "STARLAKE & NEW LISBON R.P.O." See: Leet: Railway Postmarks of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan.

Charles P. Forbes
August 9, 2006
Revised: September 1, 2009

Comprehensive References

Hale, James, Wisconsin Post Office Handbook, Bulletin No. 10 (Orig.), Revised number unk., Madison, 1988. View Full Record
Hooper, C. W., ed., M. E. Monsell returned from Star Lake..., Minocqua Times, January 23, 1896, Minocqua, 1896. View Full Record
Laabs, Joyce, Looking Back: Sonny and Frances [Herrick] Remember, Lakeland Times, Extra, Friday, June 20, 2008, Section 3, p. 1 & 23., Minocqua, 2008. View Full Record

Major References

Belden and Powers, Star Lake, Star Lake entry in: Historical volumes of Vilas, Oneida and Lincoln County, St. Paul, 1924. View Full Record View Full Text
Leet, Merwin A., Railway Mail Postmarks of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan, Bulletin No. 12-1978, Madison, 1978. View Full Record