Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1923-12-12
A Man, a Motive, His Monument

cation of the Milwaukee Athletic
Club, the following article writ
ten by Fred Effinger appeared
relative to what j. Frederick Pal
mer has accomplished in building
home-sites on the Eagle chain of
lakes.)
Once in while we meet a man
who does something else than exc
out living, amass a fortune for
himself and heirs, or simply con-
tribute to charity, or perform
other noble but routine functions
of livelihood. These latter great
accomplishments are mere duty
bound jobs of life. Getting off
the beaten trail, as indeed this
man has done, really and actually
making this a better world to live
in, as this man is doing, and fol-
lowing a hobby to a broadcast ex-
tent of attainment in which his
fellow-beings may indulge, as this
mans recreational undertaking
runs into, are not common man
marks, and deserve noteworthy
commentator, while he is yet on
this earth to receive them.
All this is prelude to- ]. Freder-
lex Palmer, a prominent manufac-
turer Of Milwaukee, a well-known
member of Rotary and The Mil
waukee Athletic Club-and now a
modern back-woodsman, clearing
acres of North country, remak-
ing waste wilds into living luxury,
hewing timbers into household
happiness.
The biggest fool that ever dash
ed into the dense brush and for
estry of that Eagle River Chain
o'-Lakes region of Wisconsin was
j. Frederick Palmer-so the ma
tives up there whispered to one an
other while seated around the
postoffice stove. Today, two years
later, everyone up there has the
bug Palmer had. But like all
things and times of old, the trail
IS made, and the beggars of fol-
lowers are sheep strutting in the
footsteps of the pioneer, the same
old kind of pioneer the Pilgrims
were, possessed of love for coun-
try and the vision that a thing
could be done, because it had a
right to be done.
But we're way ahead of our
lines.
Palmer, always a lover of the
great out-o-doors, an inventive
character and adventurous cuss,
shopping out-doors-man in that
North Chain territory of Wild
Wisconsin, got the idea that he
would buy that land up there,
build and live there, and probably
arrange for colony of likeable
other folks to live there with him.
Well, he was crazy for even think
ing of it, not less going ahead and
carrying out his thought. 1t could
mt be done. 1t wasn't worth while.
Yes, Palmer was one Of those born
every minute. Banks, those great
institutions manned and managed
by the greatest of specie genii,
turned disgustedly away from Pal
mer, told him to go home, and re-
garded that wilderness, that jun
gle of snarly underground, Doggy
land and wooded waste, less in
value than today's German marks.
But Palmer had fshed that
country, had roamed it's woods,
and had the idea of the wonder in
spending ones time there, congen-
tally employed for most of the
year, always with that vision be-
fore him.
So, in spite of his learned advis-
ors, he proceeded to lay himself
open to several miles of lake from
tage draped around him, and moth
ing to do but work.
Buying land wholesale like that
had its amusing side. When Mr..
Previous Owner described the
land, and oh how we'll he did des-
cribe it, his conversation was
pleasing, But Palmer wanted to
walk over it. And he did; the
first time with Mr.. Previous Own
err, who guided Palmer around the
wet spots, probably to avoid get
ting Palmer's feet wet. But he
wanted to see the wet spots he
was purchasing, and insisted on
keeping close to the shore line.
This, be assured, was no easy task,
TRAVELLING miles and ,,ilac of br,,eb