Why Do Cranberries Grow in Water
Cranberries are one of the few crops grown in flooded fields, a method that may seem unusual but serves multiple purposes. The bogs where cranberries grow...
Why Do Lakes "Turn Over"?
Every autumn, as air temperatures drop, lakes undergo a process called turnover, which helps oxygen circulate and prevents stagnation. During the summer,...
Why Do Icicles Form on One Side of a Roof?
Have you ever noticed that icicles often form heavily on one side of a building but not the other? The answer comes down to sunlight and heat loss. Sun...
The Railroad That Opened the Northwoods
Before highways and snowmobiles, the Northwoods was nearly inaccessible for much of the year. That changed in the late 1800s when railroads pushed north,...
The Coldest Winter on Record (1996)
The winter of 1995 to 1996 was one for the history books. January of that year saw the coldest temperatures ever recorded in Wisconsin, with the town of...
The Great Ice Harvest
Before modern refrigeration, ice harvesting was a vital industry in the Northwoods. Every February, crews of workers took to the frozen lakes with saws and...
When Sturgeon Was Bar Food
In the late 1800s, Wisconsin's waters were teeming with lake sturgeon. So much so that commercial fishermen initially saw them as a nuisance. These massive...
Ghost Towns of Wisconsin
The Northwoods is dotted with lost towns. Once thriving settlements that vanished when the industry that built them disappeared. Logging camps, railroad...
The Great Blowdown of 1977
On July 4, 1977, a massive derecho tore through the Northwoods, bringing hurricane force winds that flattened thousands of acres of timber. Old growth white...
The Strange Case of the Sturgeon Bay Serpent
Most know of the Lake Champlain monster or Scotland's Loch Ness legend, but Wisconsin has its own lake serpent stories. In the late 1800s, sailors and...
The 1895 Timber Boom
By the late 1800s, the Northwoods was one of the most valuable timber producing regions in the country. In 1895, a record breaking timber boom hit...
When Mail Came by Snowshoe
In the early 1900s, routes between places like Sayner, Lac du Flambeau, Eagle River, and St. Germain weren't plowed or even tracked. Local men were hired...
The Armistice Day Blizzard of 1940
The day began unseasonably warm, with hunters heading out in light jackets and farmers tending to chores as usual. But by the afternoon, temperatures...
Cold War Radar Stations
During the Cold War, the U.S. government built a network of radar stations across the northern states, including Wisconsin, to detect incoming Soviet...
Why Does Snow Squeak?
Anyone who has walked on a frigid Northwoods morning has heard the telltale squeak of snow underfoot. But why does this only happen when temperatures drop...
Northwoods foods
In the Northwoods, the seasons dictate the menu. We do not eat out of preference; we eat out of necessity. When the ground freezes four feet deep and the...
December Edition
The December Edition of The Northwoods Ledger has arrived, marking the true start of the deep freeze and the longest nights of the year. Inside this month's...
Tara's Year - A Story of Survival in the Northwoods
March - The Late Thaw Tara woke to the sound of water. Not the peaceful kind. The gutter outside her apartment was jammed again, and the snowmelt was pooling...
November Ledger — A storm, a story, and the season’s quiet hunt
The November issue of The Northwoods Ledger is here — and it’s full of the season’s mood: the first freeze, the last hunt, and the long memory of the lake....
October Edition is Here!
The October issue of The Northwoods Ledger is here! This month we’re covering:🍂 Stories of Northwoods life as the season turns📜 Local voices and traditions🍄...