Vilas County, Wisconsin

Vilas County, Wisconsin
Location in the state of Wisconsin
Wisconsin's location in the U.S.
Founded	April 12, 1893
Named for	William Freeman Vilas
Seat	Eagle River
Largest city	Eagle River
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	1,018 sq mi (2,636 km²) 874 sq mi (2,263 km²) 144 sq mi (373 km²), 14.16%
Population  - (2000)  - Density	21,033 24/sq mi (9/km²)
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Website	www.co.vilas.wi.us

Vilas County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2000, the population was 21,033. Its county seat is Eagle River.

History

Settlement

Vilas County was set off from Oneida County on April 12, 1893 and named for William Freeman Vilas. The earliest inhabitants of Vilas County were members of the Chippewa band of Native Americans; the first recorded white settler was a man named Ashman who established a trading post in Lac du Flambeau in 1818. In the 1850s a number of wagon roads and trails were constructed through Vilas County including the Ontonogan Mail Trail and a Military Road from Fort Howard to Fort Wilkins in Copper Harbor, Michigan.

Logging Era

Vilas County's forests were extensively logged in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Many dams were built throughout the county to assist loggers as they sent their timber downstream to the lumber and paper mills in the Wisconsin River valley.

Wisconsin Walleye War

Governor Tommy Thompson was ordered by a federal court to mobilize hundreds of policemen to keep the peace in Vilas County in 1989 during the Wisconsin Walleye War. Vilas County residents massed in angry throngs to interfere with Native Americans who had gained recognition for their natural resource management jurisdiction off of a federal ethnic reservation, throwing rocks and trying to capsize boats from which families gathered their annual quota of fish.

Geography

Sign for Vilas County on U.S. Route 45.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,018 square miles (2,640 km²), of which 874 square miles (2,260 km²) is land and 144 square miles (370 km²) (14.16%) is water. There are 1,318 lakes in the county. Much of Vilas County is covered by the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest and the Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest as well as extensive county forest lands. Vilas County waters drain to Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, and the Mississippi River. The Wisconsin, Flambeau, and Presque Isle Rivers all find their headwaters in Vilas County.

Adjacent counties

• Gogebic County, Michigan - north
• Iron County, Michigan - northeast
• Forest County - southeast
• Oneida County - south
• Price County - southwest
• Iron County - west

Major highways

U.S. Highway 45 U.S. Highway 51 Highway 17 (Wisconsin) Highway 32 (Wisconsin)

Highway 47 (Wisconsin) Highway 70 (Wisconsin) Highway 155 (Wisconsin)

National Protected Areas

• Chequamegon National Forest (part)
• Nicolet National Forest (part)

Although these two forests have been administratively combined into the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, it is important to note that the county contains portions of both original forests.

Demographics

2000 Census Age Pyramid for Vilas County.

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1900	4,929		—
1910	6,019		22.1%
1920	5,649		−6.1%
1930	7,294		29.1%
1940	8,894		21.9%
1950	9,363		5.3%
1960	9,332		−0.3%
1970	10,958		17.4%
1980	16,535		50.9%
1990	17,707		7.1%
2000	21,033		18.8%
2010	21,430		1.9%
WI Counties 1900-1990

As of the census of 2000, there were 21,033 people, 9,066 households, and 6,300 families residing in the county. The population density was 24 people per square mile (9/km²). There were 22,397 housing units at an average density of 26 per square mile (10/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 89.69% White, 0.20% Black or African American, 9.08% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.19% from other races, and 0.65% from two or more races. 0.86% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 37.8% were of German, 7.9% Polish, 6.6% Irish and 5.3% English ancestry according to Census 2000. 95.9% spoke English, 1.3% Spanish and 1.2% German as their first language.

There were 9,066 households out of which 23.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.40% were married couples living together, 7.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.50% were non-families. 26.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.73.

In the county, the population was spread out with 20.70% under the age of 18, 5.00% from 18 to 24, 23.10% from 25 to 44, 28.50% from 45 to 64, and 22.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females there were 99.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.80 males.

Economy

The economy in Vilas County is based on tourism centered on its high concentration of lakes and forests. Hunting and sport fishing are the backbones of the fall economy, and ice fishing and especially snowmobiling makes up the bulk of the economy in the wintertime. Logging, forestry, construction and government also account for important parts of the local economy.

Cities and towns

Cities

• Eagle River

Towns

• Arbor Vitae
• Boulder Junction
• Cloverland
• Conover
• Lac du Flambeau (town)
• Land O' Lakes
• Lincoln
• Manitowish Waters
• Phelps
• Plum Lake
• Presque Isle
• St. Germain
• Washington
• Winchester

Census-designated places

• Lac du Flambeau (CDP)

Unincorporated communities

• Arbor Vitae
• Boulder Junction
• Conover
• Katinka Village
• Land O' Lakes
• Marlands
• Phelps
• Presque Isle
• Sayner
• St. Germain
• Star Lake
• Winchester

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Vilas County, Wisconsin

External links

• Vilas County official website
• Vilas County Chamber of Commerce