Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1922-03-10
Bv HENRY P. PETERSON

BY HENRY +. PEI EFiOON
PHELPS, Wis.-The town of Phelps
Villas county, of which the village OF
the same name is the active business
center, is located on the extreme cor
ner of the county, up against theMich-
igan state line, IL miles from Eagle
River on the Chicago & Northwestern
railroad. The village has one OF the
most picturesque sites for town in
the state on the northwest shore of
.sawmfll in Wisconsin gave birth to
the town when the big Hackley-Phelps
Bonnell company of Grand Rapids,
Mich, established the mill there about
20 years ago. The town is situated in
one of the biggest tracts of primeval
pine and hardwood timber still left
in Wisconsin and has enough timber
left to keep the works busy for an
other 20 years.
Large Chemical Plant.
The hardwood timber consists main
ly of maple, which is the kind Of wood
best suited to the manufacture of
wood alcohol and its line of by-pro-
ducts, so useful in the industries and
arts. This has created the Wisconsin
Chemical company's plant at Phelps,
which is controlled by the concern
aforesaid and employs a large force
of men the year around. The two
plants combined furnish employment
to over 900 men during the busy sea-
son and, counting the large number
of homesteaders in the town who, in
clearing their lands, cut cordwood
material for the chemical plant, the
list of retainers is much larger
Doubly Advantageous.
For it is peculiar to the Phelps
homesteaders that all the timber they
CAR cut for the chemical company s
plant yields them as good returns in
money as they could average at work.
ing by the day, and also at the same
time enable them to clear their farms
of timber and getting them ready for
the pillow. Few places in Wisconsin or
elsewhere offer such advantages to
the new settler. The homemaker is
not even compelled to cart his cord
wood to the mill or even to the rail.
road, if the latter is too distant. The
company's teams will come and get
the stuff when needed, while the set
tier can go to the main Office, declare
the size of his pile and get the pay
at once No wonder that homemakers
on the lands in the town of Phelps
are coming in in large numbers every
year
Farm Development.
Although land settlement in the
Phelps county is of more recent
growth over 800 settlers already own
homes in the territory, and OF them
over half arrived during the last three
years. AS stated above, the chemical
plant uses over 1900 cords a month
and it takes good many men at
good pay to keep the works supplied
In addition, many of the homemakers
are given work at the sawmill and
the planning mill when running, which
is about the whole year through, with
only occasional shutdowns for repairs
Many of the farmers have got to the
point where they are best paid by
giving all their time to their farms
And no region in Wisconsin is more
favored. for agricultural purposes than
the Phelps county. The soil is the
well-known rich variety called Ken
nan silt loan; the many lakes and
water courses yield splendid drainage
and the best water on earth, and the
climate invigorating and conducive to
good crops.
Some of the Settlers.
Not to mention the numerous own
ers of summer homes and gardens
from the big cities, who live in the
Phelps county several months in the
year, and some Of them permanently
hundreds of regular farmers are turn
ing the neighborhood into a happy and
prosperous home region. Among the
big fellows may be mentioned the
Sand Lake clubhouse with 500 acres
adjacent and over 100 members, al