Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1897-12-02
A Short Account Of Some Of the Most
Important Events in Its Life, and
n Brief Mention of Come OF Ife Lead.
ing business Men. Both Past
and Present. by
Rev. Father Goepfert.
Continued from last weekly

Thanksgiving day, Nov. 25th, 1897,
has given Eagle River City the cleo
trio lights: and bright did they shine
on the untrodden snow, along the
streets, stores and dwellings, bringing
joy to every heart. To us, these lights
are Thanksgiving gift: they are a
boon to the people; they are the pride
of the town; they are an everlasting
credit to our intelligent city officers,
Messrs Mart Hirzel, chairman, Mat
Scheribel and James Langill, supervi-
sors, directed by their eminent lawyer,
Senator D. E. Riordan, names we'll de-
serving to be engraven in letters OF
gold, and enshrined in flaming sparks
on our history's pages. Let these be
held in bright and grateful remem-
brance, as well as Eagles clear-minded
voters, who twice supported the wise
proposal of their ''go-ahead" magis-
trates to get the electric lights.
Such a step as this seems, to us, on
PROGRESSES path, for our future ever
increasing city that, to commence
rate the Inauguration OF our electric
lights, so skillfully handled by F. ].
Thrun. and his assistants, George Full
Ter and Con Noble, we must needs de-
viate from our original plan, return to
an early period, when such brightness
was not dreamed Of, and present our
Eagle River citizens, and all our Villas
county friends in Minocqua, Arbor vi
tae, Woodruff, Star Lake and Lac du
Flambeau, our Indian reservation, with
a series Of articles which, at the spec
ial request of MIR. j. J. Sullivan OF
Milwaukee, we have prepared for his
great work, now under publication,
"The Catholic Church in Wisconsin"
Eagle River, with population of
sixteen hundred, stands on lofty, fer
tile plateau-one OF the highest and
healthiest in Wisconsin. It is charm
ingly located On both banks of the
broad, limpid stream from which it de-
rives its poetical name. The stream
itself is called Eagle River on account
OF the many imperial birds that here
take refuge, raise and teach their
young ones, and make this region their
home.
The Eagle, before reaching the city,
passes through twenty-five lakes, with
out counting the many inland tribu-
taries that form the famous Eagle
chain. The current of the Eagle, as
yet not known as a river, after silently
meandering through many labyrinth
an circles and windings, suddenly ap-
pears in great beauty, half mile
northeast OF the town, having accom-
plished a journey of fifty miles, though
the two ends OF the chain of lakes are
but fifteen miles apart. It then passes
through the city, and finally, a mile
and half southwest of there, empties
it's wealth, loses it's name, and disap-
pears into the Wisconsin river.
At the present time, the parish, at
Eagle River, with it's dependent mis-
sions, extends over a territory compris-
ing four thousand square miles. The
members of these congregations are
much scattered in parts of Villas, For
est, Oneida, Langlade and Lincoln
counties, the missions being located at
North and South Crandon, Parrish,
Jeffries, Monico, Gagen, Stella, Scott,
Conover and State Line. North of
Eagle River there is not a priest loca-
ted within distance of one hundred
miles, while to the south there are two
at Amigo, fifty-nine miles away, one at
Rhinelander to the southwest, twenty
seven miles, and one east, at Florence,
to reach whom, a journey Of over sixty
miles of tangles and trackless wood
land must be made. The priest of Ea-
gle River is the only resident priest in
the two extensive Villas and Forest
counties.
THE FOUNDATION OF OUR Cry.
The city OF Eagle River was incor-
porated In 1881. Twenty years prior
to that time, James Hall settled with
his family on the northern bank of Ea-
gle lake, three miles from the site OF