In 1831, Henry Schoolcraft, an Indian agent from Sault St. Marie, Michigan, traveled down the Red Cedar River to Rice Lake and held council with the Chippewa Indians at this approximate site. In 1847, the Knapp Stout Co. purchased thousands of acres of northern Wisconsin virgin pine, ushering in the logging era. In 1863, John H. Knapp, Henry L. Stout, Andrew Tainter, and William Wilson purchased the property here, which became the lumbering hub of northern Wisconsin. In 1864, the first dam was built at the present location in Rice Lake. In 1868, the Knapp Stout General Store was relocated from Louseburg to the approximate site of the Rice Lake Regional Airport. In 1871, Knapp Stout Company built a small saw mill north of the present dam with one single up-and-down saw, and its output was used locally. By 1880, the Knapp Stout Company was known as the largest lumber corporation in the world. In 1882, rail lines reached Rice Lake, bringing more people and allowing more logs to be shipped in and lumber to be shipped out during the area’s biggest boom time to that point. In 1887, the Rice Lake Lumber Company began operation in Rice Lake. Owned by Orrin Ingram of Eau Claire, the large mill used the most modern technology of its time and was constructed one-quarter mile southeast of the present dam. It coexisted with Knapp Stout until 1901, and the building on the northeast corner of Main and Allen Street was constructed as its headquarters and still serves local businesses.