Historic Fifield

On the South Fork of the Flambeau River, this site was a sorting pond where logs were separated by logging company brand marks. By unleashing a wall of water 20 miles upstream at the Round Lake Logging Dam, loggers flushed millions of logs to mills here and along the Chippewa and Mississippi rivers. Established in 1876 and named after Lt. Governor Fifield, Fifield was the social, business, and religious center of Price County. Its influence dwindled after an 1893 fire destroyed Fifield’s business district. Homesteaders settled the nearby cutover, fire-scarred lands, but were generally unsuccessful at farming due to poor soil, short growing season, and distance to markets. Taxes mostly went unpaid, and the return of these lands to the government sparked the creation of the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest in 1933. These lands now contain vast forests, scenic areas, lakes, and rivers, and today Fifield’s economy depends on natural resources and tourism.

Fifield, Wisconsin · United States