In the early years, Star Lake was central to the surrounding towns because of the railroad. Mail came through Star Lake, as did a variety of goods. With the loss of the mill, Star Lake ceased to be important to its neighboring towns, except that the mail arrived by train in Star Lake. With the lost of the train, Star Lake ceased to be central, and became dependent on the surrounding towns for most if not all of its goods and services.

For vacationers, visits to the surrounding towns were, and continue to be, an important part of vacation life. Except for Woodruff and Minocqua, most don't venture beyond Vilas County, but more of the Vilas County towns are within the circle of interest for vacationers who spend more that a week or so.

The histories and stories of the surrounding towns are part of the Star Lake experience. They are (or will be) told in the pages connected to this one. The stories are told briefly here, but check out the bibliographies for a source of more detailed histories of these communities.

**** indicates no known author.

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