Florence County

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attractions category logo attractions resources logo
1
Albino 8-Point Buck
at the Wild Rivers Interpretive Center
location:   Florence
genetic oddity

Albino 8-Point Buck
photo courtesy of official site
"An excellent example of the educational exhibits in the Interpretive Center is the albino buck. A 7 1/2 year old true albino whitewall buck like the one on display at the Florence Wild Rivers Interpretive Center is extremely rare. Few deer live out their potential life span of 11 or 12 years. Very few bucks even reach their prime of 4 1/2 years. A true albino occurs in about one of 100,000 births and very few survive beyond the first year of life. For an albino to live over seven years is extremely unusual. This albino whitetail buck that was seen near Florence between 1987 and the fall of 1992 and was killed on the last day of the 1992 deer/gun hunting season is a one in a million occurrence. All cases of true albinism are due to the lack of pigmentation in the hair, skin, and, in the case of deer, the iris of the eyes, pink or blue, and the hoofs a pale gray. This particular buck because of his unusual age weighed 225 pounds and had an eight point rack with a 22 inch spread, making it among the larger deer killed in the 1992 gun season. Since all white deer are protected in Wisconsin, the shooting of this albino was illegal. Recognizing the rarity of this whitetail as a biological specimen and the importance of this animal to the people of Florence, the conservation warden immediately took it to North Star Taxidermy to be properly preserved. He then contacted the agency heads at the Florence Natural Resources Center to determine if they would find it a home in the Interpretive Center. On November 6, 1993, at the Wild Rivers Interpretive Center the full seven foot mount was unveiled to the public where it can still be viewed today."
– section from the official website
black_arrow   4793 Forestry Dr.
Florence, WI 54121
Official Site
www.exploreflorencecounty.com
2
Badwater Ski-Ters Waterski Show
at Vagabond Park
location:   Spread Eagle
public show

"This award winning group of performers usually take to their stage on the Menominee River located at the banks of the Vagabond Park located in Spread Eagle. Their performances happen twice weekly, on Wednesday and Sunday evenings starting at 6:00pm."
– section from Explore Florence County website
black_arrow   1/2 mile past the bridge over the Menominee River
Badwater Ski-Ters Waterski Show
photo courtesy of official site
Official Site
www.exploringthenorth.com/ski
Explore Florence County
www.exploreflorencecounty.com
“Badwater Ski-Ters 2008 Night Show”
video by menomineeriver
3
Skunks & Wildmen of 1911
location:   Florence
historical oddity

Following an invasion of rank-smelling polecats that got into homes and chicken coops, residents of the town of Florence found themselves faced with a new pest: a local "wildman".

"...Dr. J.H. Ripley declares that while hunting partridges in the woods he came upon a strange, long-haired being, who, upon seeing him, threw his arms wildly above his head, uttered a hoarse cry and plunged into the thicket."
– section from Genealogy Trails
Skunks & Wildmen of 1911
Genealogy Today
genealogytrails.com


natural category logo natural resources logo
1
Virgin Timber Forty
location:   Florence
preserved forest

"In this 40-acre forest preserve, 200 year-old northern hardwood trees stand as magnificent reminders of the old-growth forest that covered the county long before the logging era began."
– section from Explore Wisconsin website
tan_arrow   The Forty is located on Highway 70, seven miles west of the junction of Highways 70 & 101.
Explore Wisconsin
www.explorewisconsin.com
Explore Florence County
www.exploreflorencecounty.com
2
Artesian Well
at Chipmunk Rapids Campground
location:   Florence
well, well, well

"The artesian well was discovered while drilling for a new campground well in 1968. The water literally bubbled out of the 6 inch casing. Now a masonry and stone structure encases the well. The flowing artesian well produces about 15 gallons per minute of cold, clear water."
– section from Florence Official Site
tan_arrow   From Florence, head west on Highway 70 for 15 miles. Turn left (south) onto Dream Lake Road (FR 2450). After 1 mile, turn left onto Chipmunk Rapids Road (FR 2156). Follow for about 3 miles until you reach Chipmunk Rapids Campground. The well is on your left after you enter the campground.
Explore Florence County
www.exploreflorencecounty.com
3
LaSalle Falls
and
Myers Falls
and
Bull Falls
on the Pine River
location:   Florence
waterfall(s)

tan_arrow   • Myers and Bull are located 8 miles west of Florence on the south side of Highway 70.
• LaSalle is located 5 miles southwest of Florence about 4 miles west of County Road N.
LaSalle Falls
Meyers Falls
photo courtesy of Explore Florence County
Explore Florence County
www.exploreflorencecounty.com
Explore Wisconsin
www.explorewisconsin.com
Wisconsin Natural Resources Magazine
www.wnrmag.com
book:
"Wisconsin Waterfalls"
by Patrick Lisi
Prairie Oak Press (2000)
page(s) 48 – 72
buy it at
buy it at Barnes & Noble.comicon
4
Washburn Falls
and
Little Bull Falls
and
Big Bull Falls
and
Jennings Falls
on the Popple River
location:   Fence
waterfall(s)

tan_arrow   • Washburn and Jennings are located about 5 miles northeast of Fence east of Highway 101.
• Little Bull is 1 mile northwest of Fence west of Highway 101.
• Big Bull is 3 miles north of Fence west of Highway 101.
Washburn Falls
Big Bull Falls
photo courtesy of Explore Florence County
( refer to the links for the Pine River waterfalls )
(see #3 above)
“Washburn Falls movie.AVI ”
video by edquist


paranormal category logo paranormal resources logo
1
Teenagers Hear Screams & See Ghost in House
ghost
ghost
location:  Florence

"A few minutes later, a white-looking apparation (sic) appeared. Interested, we went to the front door for a closer look. About 5 minutes later, we heard screams inside the house."
– section from The W-Files report
The W-Files
www.w-files.com
2
Lights in Sky Move in Strange Manner (2001)
ufo
ufo
location:  Spread Eagle

"This last object was pulsating like someone using a 'dimmer' switch. It also grew larger and smaller. The three objects hovered in a triangle formation."
– section from UFO Wisconsin 10-20-2001 report
UFO Wisconsin
www.ufowisconsin.com
3
Hunters See UFO Near Lake Emily (2001)
ufo
ufo
location:  Florence

"In all my years of star gazing I have never seen an event as strange as this object."
– section from UFO Wisconsin 09-27-2001 report
UFO Wisconsin
www.ufowisconsin.com
"Ghosts of America" Haunted Location Reports
(take with a grain of salt)
ghosts
ghosts
location:  STATEWIDE

The reports on this site are presumably fiction, using random Wisconsin place names in the stories listed there. Even so, you might get a kick out of reading them.

"A guy having an axe in his head is repeatedly distinguished in the center of Cody Creek carrying a headbone. Residents who have observed this ghost assert this ghost can be the soul of a person who lived here who died here in Fence in the past."
– section from Ghosts of America website
Ghosts of America
www.ghostsofamerica.com


history category logo history resources logo
1
1889 Florence County Jail and Courthouse
location:   Florence
historic structure(s) / museum

"The picturesque buildings, with red tile roofs, crenelated (sic) towers and elongated, arched windows, stand as solid reminders of the County's affluent lumbering and mining era."
– section from Explore Wisconsin website
green_arrow   501 Lake Street
Florence, WI 54121
hours:
(Mon - Fri) 8am – 5pm
1889 Florence County Jail and Courthouse
photo courtesy of Explore Florence County
Florence County Historical Society
www.florencewisconsin.com
Explore Wisconsin
www.explorewisconsin.com
Portal Wisconsin
www.portalwisconsin.org
3
Goodman Grade
location:   Florence
historical site

"Once used to transport logs from the Goodman Timber tract, this historic railroad grade runs north/south through the entire county....The railroad grade is an impressive remnant of the area's logging era."
– section from Explore Wisconsin website
green_arrow   8 miles west of Florence on Highway 70. The grade runs north to south.
Explore Wisconsin
www.explorewisconsin.com
North Central Wisconsin
www.northcentralwisconsin.com
3
Finn Town
location:   Commonwealth
historical site

"Early settlers of Commonwealth were mainly of Swedish and Finnish descent. The Swedish people built homes, each with their own gardens, in the town of Commonwealth . The Finnish families chose to settle on farmland in Finn Town , located at the crossroads of County Highways N & D in Commonwealth."
– section from North Central Wisconsin website
green_arrow   intersection of County Roads N & D south of Commonwealth
North Central Wisconsin
www.northcentralwisconsin.com
4
Florence County Museum
location:   Florence
museum

"The museum maintains a collection of photos dating back to the 1880's. They are available for viewing and purchase. There are both permanent and special exhibits of Florence County history."
– section from the official website
green_arrow   located on Highway 2/141 in Florence hours:
June thur Sept (Thurs & Sat) 10am – Noon
Official Site
www.florencewisconsin.com


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updated 11-01-2012  •   all images and content excluding those attributed to others are property of Wisconsinosity.com