St. Germain, Vilas County, Wisconsin

Navigation

St. Germain, Vilas County, Wisconsin

The history of the community of St. Germain dates back to the 17th century, when fur traders were regulated by the French government. Soldier Jean Francois St. Germaine married a Native American woman, and rather than return to New France, he deserted and settled with his wife's tribe.

A towering statue of chief St. Germaine is located at the junction of Highways 70 and 155. The name "St. Germain" has appeared many times in area records listing tribal leaders among the Lac du Flambeau Ojibwe. Beyond honoring these leaders, the statue is meant to commemorate all the Native Americans who considered the St. Germain area one of their favorite hunting and fishing grounds.

The first European settlers arrived in 1903, sustaining themselves by logging, trapping and working inlumber mills. After the land had been logged, farming and agriculture followed. Because of the short growing season, most of the early settlers abandoned farming. Some residents built resorts or accommodate the fishermen from the cities, and St. Germain quickly became a popular vacation destination.

--from "St. Germain 'In the Center of It All' Wisconsin," Tourist Brochure of the St. Germain Area Chamber of Commerce, Loren R. Anderson, President. 2009. P. 3.

Charles P. Forbes
August 25, 2009
© 2009 Charles P. Forbes

Comprehensive References

America's North Woods, Special Feature, Country Living, V.6 #6 June 1983 p.39 ff, New York, 1983. View Full Record
Best of the Northwoods, The, Boulder Junction, 1992. View Full Record
70-155 Advancement Association, Information Bureau, Lake Region, The; State Highways 70 and 155, Eagle River, Sayner, Star Lake, Eagle River, 193?. View Full Record
Draeger, Jim, Extra Tip: Timber Taverns, Wisconsin Trails, 44:5, October 2003, pp. 64-67, Black Earth, WI, 2003. View Full Record
Hiller, Don, A Sayner Legend [Neal Long], Vilas County Historical Museum Newsletter, Vol. 11, #2, Summer, 2009., Sayner, 2009. View Full Record
St. Germain Firefighters Association, Inc., St. Germain Flea Market & Craft Show, Brochure, 1 page, St. Germain, 2005. View Full Record
St. Germain Lionesses, Flea Market Desserts, A Collection of Recipes from the Files of the St. Germain Lionesses, St. Germain, WI, 1998. View Full Record
Welsh, S. W., Wisconsin's Thirteenth Industrial Forest, Wisconsin Conservation Bulletin, 20:9, Sept. 1955, pp. 18-19., Madison, 1955. View Full Record

Major References

Anderson, Buckshot, Growing Up Isn't All Fishing and Hunting, Bloomington, IN, 2003. View Full Record
Huhti, Thomas, Wisconsin Handbook, Including Door County, First Edition, Chico, CA, 1997. View Full Record
Komassa, Ruth, St. Germain, A Message from the Past, n.d.. View Full Record
Komassa, Ruth, St. Germain, Another Message from the Past., n.d.. View Full Record
Powell, Jane, St. Germain, Vilas County Chamer of Commerce: Vilas County Headwaters to Wisconsin, 1998, p. 35, Eagle River, 1998. View Full Record
Strutz, Patricia, Musky Hunter [magazine] Celebrates 15th Year, Vilas County News-Review, February 4, 2004, p. 11A., Eagle River. View Full Record
Vilas County News-Review, Vilas County News-Review's 2009 Headwaters Area Guide, Published Annually, Eagle River, 2009. View Full Record

Carving of Indian Chief

Neal Long "also carved the first Indian Chief, which stands in front of the St. Germain Chamber of Commerce. He still has the small carving that he used as a model. His friend, Bill Maines, posed for the statue." Hiller, "A Sayner Legend"

St. Germain Flea Market

The St. Germain Flea Market is thirty years old (2011) and the largest weekly flea market in Wisconsin, with an average of 325 spaces filled. It's history is told in the brochure: St. Germain Flea Market & Craft Show--see the "Documents" tab where the full text is available.