Book Reviews - The Story of Shell Lake

The Story of Shell Lake

A. L. Stouffer

1961

History

Best Book Ever?

While this may not be the most stunning of titles, folks familiar with my hometown will adore this collection of historical highlights about Shell Lake, Wisconsin. Not only will you find a slew of pictures from the 1880s-1960s, but you will also learn a few hard-to-envision facts. For example, upon incorporation, there were ZERO fish in Shell Lake. This is just one of the tidbits you will walk away with and get details to back it up.

Quickly, about the author, Albert L. Stouffer. He arrived in Washburn County in 1886 when he was two years old. His family homesteaded in on the Yellow River south of town and lived here all his life. His early days saw him learn the logging industry, then spent 40 years as Telegraph Operator and Depot Manager for the railroad. Stouffer went on to be a town official and editor of the local paper for more than 15 years. The man held just about every job there was to have in a town of this size; his first, second, and third-hand accounts of the goings-on are rare to see in historical works of this nature. His love for the hometown is obvious, even the smallest sections are testament to Stouffer’s affinity for ole Frog Lake.

No Fish in Shell Lake?

The author points out numerous times not a single fish resided in the pristine waters of Shell Lake upon white settlement. He devotes more than a few pages to this topic, the arduous task of attempting to stock the lake with fish and the successes and failures over the years. I had to read these sections multiple times to ensure I was understanding them correctly. The notion of no fish in Shell Lake was something very difficult to ponder, given the abundance of wildlife known to the lake today. Just 100 years ago we were struggling to maintain adequate life beyond frogs. Which reminds me, Shell Lake was not the original name of Shell Lake.

What’s in A Name?

'Frog’s Navel', or 'Frog Lake,' was the Ojibwe name for our beloved home. Mokokesese Sahkiagin, is the exact term referenced in the book, assuredly due to the abundance of peepers in the south end. Unlike most of the surrounding bodies of water, Shell Lake had no fish, no clams, and no rice. Perhaps that is why there wasn't much for native settlement until you get well into the Sawyer Creek Valley and beyond. On a few maps, we were even referenced as 'Summit Lake' for a time, as we are 1,241 feet above sea level.

The Shell Lake Lumberjacks?

It was probably a good thing there were no fish in Shell Lake at the onset because we would have decimated the population with the sawdust from the old mill. Contrary to my belief growing up, that all the lumberjack history was concentrated in Ladysmith, Shell Lake has a robust history as a lumber and mill town that I knew little about.

To put it bluntly, Shell Lake was plotted as a mill town on the North-Wisconsin Railroad, and soon after the Shell Lake Lumber Company was formed. If you are not aware, from 1850 to 1900 Wisconsin was a behemoth in global lumber production. Long, light and bendy, our pine was sought for masts and rafters all over the world. It was unheard of to have a mill so deep into the Northwoods and the Shell Lake Lumber Company became the heartbeat of our little town. Another thing that separated us from the competition was the fact we were not limited to the light pine that floats on rivers. Thanks to our position on the railroad, we could process both hard and soft woods, and then ship them right from the forest. Everything was gravy until the trees ran out.

Shockingly, it only took about 20 years for the lumber industry to fade in Shell lake. By 1902 the mill was dark, and the thousand employees had to find new work. This opened the door for new industries. We sold ice, milled flour, rolled cigars, eventually grew record breaking fish, and used the cleared tracks of land for agriculture.

Just Your Average American Town?

These are only a few of the hundreds of facts you will learn from this book. Its numerous details bring to life a community with grit, wisdom and grace.

Don't skip the miscellaneous section at the end where events are cited by the annual calendar. One can see the ways the world leans the same on all of us. Despite our distance from the main roads, we could not avoid the military draft, nor were we immune to smallpox and influenza outbreaks that ebb and flow. From wolves on the lake, roller rinks and even a presidential drive by, The Story of Shell Lake highlights the many points from the past that make our town unique. I can't wait to see who writes the history of the next 100 years...

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