Nearly 300 years ago, shipwrecked French priests on the shores of Lake Superior made their way down a river to an area which they christened "Presque Isle," or "almost an island," because of the vast stretches of lakes and rivers that dwarf the land.
Development came to the area in the early 1900's with the advent of the logging era. In 1905 we were known as Fosterville, after one J. J. Foster who built and operated a large saw mill. Today, the world's largest walleye rearing ponds occupy the old mill grounds.
William S. Winegar bought the mill in 1910, and the fledgling community was renamed "Winegar." When the mill closed in 1933, the "Lumber Baron" era came to an end.
In 1955, the village name was changed once again. Reflecting the wisdom and farsightedness of the early French missionary priests we became "Presque Isle -- Almost and Island."
From "There is a Place... Presque Isle
Posted August 4, 2003
Charles P. Forbes
August 9, 2006
© 2006 Charles P. Forbes
Comprehensive References
Emerson, Charles, Wisconsin Scenic and Historic Trails, Madison, 1933.
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Major References
Hill, Gladys, Presque Isle, Vilas County Chamer of Commerce: Vilas County Headwaters to Wisconsin, 1998, p. 30, Eagle River, 1998.
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Huhti, Thomas, Wisconsin Handbook, Including Door County, First Edition, Chico, CA, 1997.
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Laabs, Joyce, Collection of Northwoods Nostalgia, A, From the Pages of the Lakeland Times, Vol. 1 (of 2), Sun Prairie, WI, 1978.
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Presque Isle Chamber of Commerce, There Is a Place... Presque Isle, Presque Isle, 2002.
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Schwartz, Carl, Bird City Wisconsin, Lake Tides, Vol. 36, #3, Summer, 2011, Stevens Point, 2011.
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Vilas County News-Review, Vilas County News-Review's 2009 Headwaters Area Guide, Published Annually, Eagle River, 2009.
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