Wisconsin Heritage Tourism
The Wisconsin Department of Tourism remains committed to promoting Wisconsin’s heritage tourism areas and historic attractions. Our efforts include publishing and distributing the Heritage Traveler guide and integrating heritage tourism into our seasonal advertising and public relations plans and providing further information through travelwisconsin.com. The Department’s area tourism consultants also serve as liaisons to the 12 heritage tourism area organizations.
The following provides the history of the program and information on
the those heritage areas:
The Wisconsin Heritage Tourism Program was established in 1990 to increase the awareness of the importance of history and culture to the residents and visitors of Wisconsin and to provide economic development opportunities to areas based on history and tourism. The program was designed to help local areas develop, package and promote their historical resources.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation selected Wisconsin as one of four states to participate in a pilot program. The lessons learned during the pilot years are being used to successfully develop heritage tourism areas throughout Wisconsin.
WISCONSIN'S HERITAGE TOURISM AREAS
1. FOX-WISCONSIN RIVERS HERITAGE CORRIDOR
132 Main St., Menasha, WI 54952
920/751-4770
staff@eastcentralrpc.org
The Fox and Wisconsin river system, stretching approximately 275 miles from Green
Bay southwest to Prairie du Chien, is the the famous 1673 discovery route of
French explores Marquette and Juliet. The river system has much to offer
visitors, including a combination of historic sites and scenic waterways popular
among boat and canoe enthusiasts. A free brochure of the entire waterway listing
attractions, parks and historic sites is available.
2. FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT HERITAGE TOUR
PO Box 6339
Madison, WI 53716-0339
608/287-0339
info@wrightinwisconsin.org
Frank Lloyd Wright is internationally recognized as the 20th century's greatest
architect. A native of Wisconsin, Wright built many buildings here. Sites open
to the public include: Taliesin, Hillside Home School and the Frank Lloyd Wright
Visitor Center in Spring Green, the SC Johnson Wax Headquarters and Wingspread
in Racine, the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Milwaukee, the Seth
Peterson Cottage near Wisconsin Dells, the A.D. German Warehouse in Richland
Center, and the Unitarian Meeting House and Monona Terrace Community and
Convention Center in Madison. Please call or write for a free guide.
3. FROM THE PINERIES TO THE PRESENT
P.O. Box 38
Shawano, WI 54166
800/235-8528
tmac@shawano.com
The area comprised of the Menominee and Mohican Nations and Shawano County offers a
unique perspective that illustrates Wisconsin's history from the virgin pine
forests and pristine watersheds of the 18th century to the modern world of
agriculture, industry, commerce and recreation. The Menominee's internationally
acclaimed sustained-yield forests still illustrate what much of Wisconsin looked
like when occupied by the Winnebago, Sioux, Menominee and Chippewa peoples.
Today's thriving logging industry, dairying, manufacturing and recreation
demonstrate how modern man can live with and preserve an area's natural
heritage. Call for a free heritage tour map.
4. IRON COUNTY HERITAGE AREA
P.O. Box 97-WR
Hurley, WI 54534
715/561-2922
jenni@ironcountywi.com
Iron County's unique history is "Rooted in Resources" -- not only the resources found
in the iron ore mines and lush forests of northern Wisconsin, but also in the
people who settled the region. Iron County's story is told through Heritage
Travel Corridors, each based on a historical interpretive theme. Corridors tell
the stories of the ethnic settlements, lumberjack days, iron mining
communities
and Native American trading and travel. Trails are multi-modal allowing for a
variety of recreation including mountain biking, canoeing, kayaking, all-terrain
vehicles and auto touring. Waterfall watchers can enjoy several charming
cascades along the way. For a free Iron County Heritage Area Vacation
Planner, contact the address above.
5. LAC DU FLAMBEAU BAND OF LAKE SUPERIOR CHIPPEWA
Heritage Tourism Program
P.O. Box 67
Lac du Flambeau, WI 54538
715/588-3303, 715/588-9052
The Lac du Flambeau Chippewa Reservation has been a permanent settlement since 1745. Located in the heart of
Northern Wisconsin's lake country, the reservation is the site of some of the
most interesting and historically significant displays of Indian culture in
Wisconsin. Experience an intimate glimpse of 17th century tribal life at Wa Swa
Goning, an authentic Ojibwe village located among twenty acres of forest on
Moving Cloud Lake. The George W. Brown, Jr. Museum and Cultural Center houses
one of the finest collections of Chippewa artifacts in the north. The museum
also features workshops in basket weaving, beadwork and moccasin making. For a
free guide to the Lac du Flambeau area, contact the above address.
6. POINT OF BEGINNINGS HERITAGE AREA
165 Preston Drive
Platteville, WI 53818
608-330-0622
Much of Wisconsin's history can be traced to the southwestern corner of the state -- our
"Point of Beginnings." The lead miners of the 1820s were among the first
European settlers of Wisconsin. The state's 1831 land survey began from a
benchmark location near Hazel Green. The first territorial government met at
Belmont in 1836. As a measure of the area's rich history, four State Historic
Sites (Pendarvis, Stonefield Village, First Capitol and Villa Louis) are located
here. For a Heritage Trails of Southwest Wisconsin brochure, contact the address
above.
7. TIMBER TRAILS OF THE CHIPPEWA VALLEY
3625 Gateway Drive, Suite F
Eau Claire, WI 54701
800/344-FUNN; 715/831-2345
The mid-19th century lumber mill towns of Chippewa Falls, Eau Claire and Menomonie
are in this heritage tourism area. Lumbering was big business in the white pine
forests of the Chippewa Valley during the mid-1800s. The Chippewa River system
was a natural assembly line for the production of timber and its float
downstream to market. This project promotes more than one hundred historic
places, including museums, tours, trails and events that allow visitors to
experience the region's history. A brochure highlighting these places and events
is available.
8. WISCONSIN'S ETHNIC SETTLEMENT TRAIL
5900 N. Port Washington Road, #126
Milwaukee, WI 53217
414/961-2110
The largest concentration of 19th century old-world settlements in America is found along the Wisconsin shore
of Lake Michigan -- Wisconsin's Ethnic Settlement Trail (W.E.S.T.). Tours of
this historic area have been designed to showcase the art, architecture, food
and customs of various cultures. Each presents a unique opportunity to recreate
and sample an element of Wisconsin's past. For a copy of the W.E.S.T. heritage
tour map, contact the address above.
9. COULEE PATHWAYS
P.O. Box 165
New Lisbon, WI 53950
608/427-2090
The Coulee Pathways is a living history project that highlights the human and
natural history of La Crosse, Trempealeau, Monroe, Juneau and Vernon counties.
This driftless area, untouched by glaciers, has always been a series of pathways
by foot, horseback, canoe, railroad, riverboat and bicycle. Native Americans,
french voyageurs, European immigrant farmers and loggers, railroad builders and
steamboat crews have traveled these paths. Through historical sites, auto tours,
and a living history festival visitors can experience the past and see how the
landscape shaped the lives of those who passed this way. Call for a free
heritage tour map.
10. LAKE SUPERIOR HERITAGE HIGHWAYS
P.O. Box 347
Ashland, WI 54806
715/685-2646
The Lake Superior Heritage Highways project introduces visitors to the resources of Lake
Superior and the fur trading, lumbering, mining and shipping history of Ashland
and Bayfield counties. An audiocassette guide takes visitors on a 90 miles
driving tour along the south shore of Lake Superior, highlighting local lore and
the historical and ethnic elements along the route. More than 105 attractions
and events are featured on the tour and reveal the great ethnic diversity and
historical resources of Northwest Wisconsin. Call for a free heritage tour
map.
11. CHEESE COUNTRY HERITAGE
Green County Tourism
N3150B Hwy 81
Monroe, WI 53566
1-888/222-9111
tourism@greencounty.org
Known as "America's Little Switzerland," Green County is at the center of Wisconsin's rich dairy heritage. The county's vibrant blend of European dairy traditions was enhanced by the arrival of Swiss immigrants who brought with them a specialized knowledge of cheese making. By the late 1870s, Green County boasted more than 200 cheese factories. Today, cheese making remains an important facet of the economy and rural way of life in Green County. The Cheese Country Heritage project highlights how the cheese and dairy industries shaped the development of Green County.
12. RIVERS, RAILS AND TRAILS
Osceola Main Street Program
PO Box 251, 114 Depot Road
Osceola, WI 54020
715/755-3300
oscvrlwy@centurytel.net
Rich in pioneer history, the St. Croix River Valley is a portal to the past in Northwestern Wisconsin. The Rivers, Rails and Trails heritage project highlights the diverse history of the region from its early beginnings as a mecca for European pioneers and center for transportation and commerce to a railway connection to markets nationwide. Though the boomtown atmosphere of the 1800s and early 1900s is gone, it is still possible to revisit those historic years on the rivers, rails and trails of the St. Croix River Valley.
