Park Falls

1865

Located on the Flambeau River in north-central Wisconsin, Park Falls was first mapped by government surveyors in 1865.

1876

The land that had previously belonged to the Anishinabe (Ojibwe) had only been know to hunters and trappers up until 1876 when two Frenchmen settled the first homesteads. Albert Lacqueoix and Frederic Neadeau built their homesteads along the north fork of the Flambeau River that later became known as Muskellunge Falls.

1877

In the summer of 1877, the Wisconsin Central Railroad’s line between Milwaukee and Ashland opened providing transportation that brought more people to the area. With families settling in, the area required additional resources and the first school was established on the south end of town.

1885

The first band-saw mill was built by Henry Sherry in 1885 giving Park Falls the impetus to expand. The first post office opened in the company store in 1889. According to one source, Muskellunge Falls was renamed to Park Falls because the pines near the falls gave the area the feeling of being in a park.

1890

By 1890, Henry Sherry was manufacturing pulp and the town included a company store, two boarding houses and nearly twenty homes. The town grew quickly with new settlers to the area and by 1900 Park Falls had its own newspaper office, a church and several stores. Sherry’s pulp mill expanded into the Flambeau Paper Company, producing its first paper in the late 1890’s.

1900’s

By 1901, Park Falls had 750 people and was incorporated as a village. Although most of the big trees had been clear-cut by 1906, Park Falls continued to prosper on the paper mill industry that attracted even more settlers to the area. In 1912, with approximately 2,000 residents, the village of Park Falls became a city.

For additional information on the history of Park Falls and Butternut, visit the following website which includes a wonderful photo slideshow of the area: http://www.russscott.com/~rscott/butternut/

2000

The city’s population has waxed and waned over the past 100 years, with its population reaching over 4,000 at one point and down to 2,793 at the 2000 census.

A comprehensive look at Park Falls and the surrounding areas of Lake and Eisenstein, advertised as including over 250 local families, can be found in the book 100 Years on the Flambeau (1989) by Michael J. Goc, Weber Publishing Company, Park Falls, WI. Available for purchase at the Price County Historical Society.

If you have any information you would like to contribute, please contact the County Coordinator.

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