The combined Nov/Dec meeting of the historical society will be on Dec 10, 2009 at the Crandon Public Library, lower level.  The meeting begins at 7 p.m.

The excellent film from the WBGH website, The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), is offered in its entirety on this site. “Heal the man, heal the
land,” was the philosophy of the CCC, and they engaged in some of the first environmental conservation work in the country.  Since many academics,
politicians, and lay people compare the current troubled times with what was seen in the 1930s, this film is particularly pertinent and visitors can
decide if it’s an apt comparison or not.  Regardless, the stories of the three million young men who benefited from the regular meals, healthcare,
clothing, diversity and hard work are fascinating.  The trailer for the film starts playing right upon entering the website, but can be stopped just by
clicking on the screen.  Visitors can scroll over the “The 1930s Collection” logo to the right hand side of the film’s screen to see the playlist for the
film, but watching the whole film is recommended, as it is truly a treat. [KMG] - Source:  The Scout Report — November 13, 2009

According to a news release published today by the Wisconsin State Historical Society, Minertown in the Town of Carter, Forest County was recently added to the State Register of Historic Places, Wisconsin’s official listing of state properties determined to be significant to Wisconsin’s heritage.

Minertown, Town of Carter, Forest County

Vernon County brothers Wilbur and Henry T. Miner, with the assistance of their sister Mary, established Minertown in 1899, soon after the Chicago and North Western Railroad expanded into Forest County. They purchased a 4,000-acre tract of hardwood-covered land from the railroad and constructed a sawmill. The settlement began with a boarding house and company store and grew to include a planing mill, roundhouse, depot, store, blacksmith shop, cook shanty, several small four-room houses and a barn. Many of the original settlers came with the Miners from the Kickapoo Valley in Vernon County while others came from Kentucky.

Until 1922, when the Oconto Company acquired the facility, the mills produced saw lumber for at least one company, the Menasha Woodenware Company. On June 11, 1931, a fire attributed to a carelessly discarded cigarette destroyed the mill. Mill workers from Minertown and Carter subsequently moved away, finding work with other lumber companies, and had completely abandoned the town by 1939. What remains is an archaeological site that can tell us about the physical structure and people of a lumber company town.