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Washburn County, Wisconsin

39 topographic sheets cover 16 settlements here, and 3 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Research this county

From the record

3 National Register listings published here.

Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service

Wisconsin within the United States
Washburn County within Wisconsin

What the record shows

  • 133 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
  • 3 properties here are on the National Register of Historic Places: 3 buildings.
  • The Geographic Names Information System records 16 populated places in this county; 16 are covered by at least one topographic sheet.

Places on the National Register

3

Every property in this county listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the year it was listed and the federal nomination document.

Photograph PropertyType ListedReference
Bishop Stanislaus Vincent Bona Cabinbuilding2020100005753
Mrs. Richard Polson Housebuilding198484003798
George V. Siegner Housebuilding198282000716

Wildfire, 1992 to 2020

853 fires

Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 853 of them, burning about 1,053 acres. 24 started naturally and 49 were recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.

Reported cause Fires
Debris and open burning231
Missing data/not specified/undetermined168
Equipment and vehicle use149
Railroad operations and maintenance66
Arson/incendiarism49
Recreation and ceremony39
Power generation/transmission/distribution33
Smoking27
Other causes26
Fireworks25
Natural24
Misuse of fire by a minor16

The five largest, by the area the report gives. None of them was recorded as arson.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
12 April 1998Power generation/transmission/distribution120 acresWisconsin Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
12 April 2006Misuse of fire by a minor75 acresWisconsin Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
28 April 1996Debris and open burning69 acresWisconsin Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
16 April 2019Debris and open burning44 acresWisconsin Department of Natural ResourcesPERCH LAKE FIRE
7 May 2019Missing data/not specified/undetermined22 acresWisconsin Department of Natural ResourcesWALTER ROAD FIRE
14 April 1995Equipment and vehicle use15 acresWisconsin Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
22 April 2007Railroad operations and maintenance13 acresWisconsin Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
13 April 2005Equipment and vehicle use13 acresWisconsin Department of Natural Resourcesnot named

Every settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it - see the settlement index below.

Storms, 1953 to 2026

60 of 261 shown

The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 261 reports for this county, causing 1 death, no injuries and about $3,458,750 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.

Kind of event Reports
Hail124
Thunderstorm Wind117
Flash Flood9
Tornado8
Flood2
Lightning1

The most serious of them, by death, then injury, then recorded damage. The accounts are quoted exactly as the forecast office filed them.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
July 2002LightningMinong1 killedno account filed
May 1953Tornado (F2)not stated$2,500,000no account filed
May 1965Tornado (F2)not stated$250,000no account filed
July 2025Flash FloodShell Lake$200,000A video was received County Highway B partially washed out leaving only a thin layer of pavement on one half of the road where it passed over a culvert. Other washouts and closures were reported nearby in multiple locations by the Shell Lake Fire Department.
July 2025Flash FloodShell Lake$100,000Hector Dam Road was was completely washed out at one of the culverts for the Dahlstrom Branch of the Yellow River. Work did not start to replace the road until July 14 with work completed on the 17th.
July 2025Flash FloodShell Lake Arpt$100,000The intersection of Cadle Road and Sunset Drive was washed out by the North Fork of the Clam River. Work to repair the washed out culvert was not completed until after July 21st.
July 2025Flash FloodShell Lake$100,000County Highway B was completely washout out just east of Old Highway B. This damage was repaired with the road reopened on July 15th.
April 2023FloodChittamo$30,000Warm temperatures early in April led to rapid snowmelt of a well above normal snowpack across the region. Additionally, heavy rainfall on top of the snowpack led to additional high runoff across the county as well. Roads began to be impacted on the 12th with water overtopping low spots leading to washouts, failed culverts and numerous closed roads. Temperatures cooled during the middle of the month along with a heavy rain/snow event the 16th into the 17th. This allowed the runoff to slow and water levels to drop. Multiple communities issued disaster declarations due to the extent of washed out roads with the worst of the flooding abating by the 20th.
July 2011Thunderstorm WindSpring Brook$30,000The intense winds brought down hundreds of trees. A barn was destroyed, a new recreational vehicle camper was destroyed, a home had major roof damage and a beef cow was killed.
June 1969Tornado (F1)not stated$25,000no account filed
August 2024Flash FloodSchultz Spooner Arpt$20,000Several gravel roads in the town of Casey were washed out by the heavy rainfall.
April 2022FloodShell Lake Arpt$20,000A spring storm coupled with frost leaving the ground led to excessive runoff that resulted in damage to two culverts. Pictures show culverts being pushed upward. Protection on the road was necessary due to sinkholes that opened up above the culverts. Both culverts will need replacing. Each culvert is 84 inches by 70 feet with preliminary estimated costs of $20,000 to replace culverts and make repairs to the road along with time and equipment. The Town of Baronett requested an emergency declaration to help cover the costs.
July 2010Thunderstorm WindBirchwood$15,000A large pine tree was blown down on a cabin, causing a large hole in the roof.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindShell Lake$10,000An approximately three foot in circumference tree was blown down causing damage to a fence and garage. In another area on the property there was an approximately 1.5 inch diameter branch impaled in the ground like a thrown spear.
July 2023HailShell Lake Arpt$10,000The hail caused severe damage to a garden and trees along with damage to cars and a roof.
July 2011HailSpring Brook$10,000The hail shredded 100 acres of corn.
July 2010Thunderstorm WindTrego$10,000Many trees were blown down across the county, especially in the Trego area and north side of Spooner.
July 2010Thunderstorm WindMinong$10,000Widespread damage to trees either snapped or uprooted centered around the Minong and Chicog areas.
August 2024Thunderstorm WindLong Lake$5,000Washburn County dispatch reported a downed power line.
May 2011HailSpooner$4,000no account filed
July 1995HailSarona$3,000Hail from one inch up to 2.75 inches in diameter damaged cars.
July 1971Tornado (F1)not stated$2,500no account filed
June 1971Tornado (F1)not stated$2,500no account filed
August 2010Thunderstorm WindMinong$1,000Trees were blown down.
July 2010Thunderstorm WindSpooner$500A large tree limb was blown down on a cabin.
June 1985Tornado (F1)not stated$250no account filed
April 2026Thunderstorm WindMinong Sutherland Ar-A gust of 68 mph was recorded by the Minong RAWS station MRZW3.
April 2026Thunderstorm WindEarl-Photos were received of trees snapped around six feet above the ground between Earl and Springbrook.
May 2025Thunderstorm WindLong Lake-Numerous trees were down at the spotter's location along with the power being out.
May 2025Thunderstorm WindSarona-Four trees were down at the reporter's location. One large poplar was uprooted, one was snapped at the base and one snapped midway up. The other was a medium maple tree. The neighbors had a medium white pine tree snapped four to six feet off the ground along with a birch tree snapped four to six feet up as well.
May 2025Thunderstorm WindLong Lake-Multiple birch and aspen trees were damaged. The trees were approximately 18 inches in diameter with some uprooted while others were snapped.
May 2025Thunderstorm WindSarona-A photo was received showing several trees snapped near the trunk or uprooted.
May 2025Thunderstorm WindTrego-A few trees were knocked down in the storm along with lawn furniture being tossed and damaged.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindShell Lake-Trees and tree limbs were down at the reporter's location.
July 2025Flash FloodShell Lake-Dispatch reported an estimated six to twelve inches of water on US Hwy 63 and 6th Ave intersection.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindTwin Oaks-A tree was down on a power line and on fire.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindSpooner-An 18 inch diameter pine tree was snapped six feet off the ground based on a photo.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindLampson-Trees were down along County Highway F between County Highway K and Highway 53.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindSpooner-Multiple trees were down in Spooner. It is unknown if they were snapped or uprooted as most of the images show that fallen trees had already begun to be cut up. However, one image appears to show a tree that was snapped close to the base.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindEarl-A tree was down across the railroad tracks about 2 miles from Springbrook.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindSpooner-Photos were received of maple, oak, ash, and aspen trees that were down due to strong thunderstorm winds. Trees were snapped off or tipped. A large super canopy white pine had snapped off. It may have been more than a couple dozen trees that came down though it was difficult to tell since most trees were in the woods. There was also one tree that blocked Beaverbrook Avenue.
August 2025Thunderstorm WindShell Lake Arpt-Photos were received showing trees down with one uprooted and down over the road near the southeast end of the Shell Lake airport.
August 2024Thunderstorm WindSarona-Pictures were received of several small softwood trees with diameters ranging from 2 to 4 inches that were blown over and snapped.
August 2024Thunderstorm WindShell Lake-Washburn County dispatch reported a downed tree.
July 2023Thunderstorm WindShell Lake-Trees were reported down in several areas in Shell Lake across roadways.
July 2023Thunderstorm WindShell Lake Arpt-Several trees were reported snapped with some near the base and others near the top. One of the trees snapped near the base had an estimated diameter of 10 inches.
August 2023Thunderstorm WindEarl-A tree was down blocking three quarters of the road on County Highway E near Earl.
May 2022Thunderstorm WindSpooner-A few trees were reported down in the Spooner area.
May 2022Thunderstorm WindShell Lake-A few trees were reported down in the Shell Lake area.
May 2022Thunderstorm WindSpooner-A few tree limbs around 3 inches in diameter were broken by the storm.
August 2022Thunderstorm WindSpring Brook-A 20-inch diameter limb off a white pine tree was down along with several other smaller limbs and power outages in the area.
August 2022Thunderstorm WindTwin Oaks-A poplar tree was downed across a driveway.
August 2022Thunderstorm WindStanberry-Several reports were received from across the county of smaller trees and branches down due to the winds.
July 2021Thunderstorm WindSpooner-An aspen tree was downed across Perch Lake Road near the intersection with Dock Lake Road near Spooner.
July 2021Thunderstorm WindSpooner-A large oak tree was downed across County Highway A near Dock Lake Road outside of Spooner.
July 2021Thunderstorm WindShell Lake-Several 8 inch diameter maple and popple trees were snapped off at a farm. Some of the trees were in sheltered locations.
July 2021Thunderstorm WindEarl-Photos were received showing a large white pine tree and a large oak tree that were broken during the storm.
September 2021Flash FloodSpooner-Flash flooding was occurring on US Highway 63 in front of a gas station with the water up to the grills on cars.
September 2021Flash FloodSarona-Washburn County dispatch reported a creek overflowing in the same location as an mPING report of flash flooding.
September 2021Thunderstorm WindChittamo-A tree was blown over near Minong by the storms.

Mines and quarries

110 recorded

The Survey's mineral resources record lists 110 workings inside this county. 6 still produce and 104 are closed or unrecorded. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.

Commodity Workings
Sand and Gravel, Construction108
Copper1
Clay, Sand and Gravel, Construction1

The least common of them first, because a county's hundredth gravel pit says nothing its first ten did not.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Eric Hinkfuss Clay DepositClay, Sand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
MudgeCopperUnknownCopper
A. A. Pinter Gravel DepositSand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Carl & June Clark Gravel DepositSand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Carl Benson Gravel DepositSand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Chauncey Jacobsen Gravel Deposit #1Sand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Chauncey Jacobsen Gravel Deposit #2Sand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Chittamo Gravel DepositSand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Chittamo Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Clark's PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
County Trunk M PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Crystall Lake Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Dock Lake Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Don. & Lois Masterjohn Sand DepositSand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Dorothy Ryland Gravel DepositSand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Douglas M. Strunk Gravel DepositSand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Edward Stueckler Gravel DepositSand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Elmer Weideman Gravel DepositSand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Ernest Zieroth Jr. Gravel DepositSand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Eugene & Ann Wentzel Gravel DepositSand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Eugene & Ann Wentzel Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Eugene R. Kasten Gravel DepositSand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Frank Gruenhagen Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Fred & Lucille Bohne Gravel DepositSand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Frog Creek Sand DepositSand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
G. M. Thompson Gravel DepositSand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Genard Amundson Sand Deposit #1Sand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Genard Amundson Sand Deposit #2Sand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
George V. Greenfield Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Gerald Campbell Gravel DepositSand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Gordon Krantz Sand DepositSand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Hannah Doyne Gravel DepositSand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Harry & Gladys Dawn Gravel DepositSand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Helen Schenk Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Johana C. Davis Gravel DepositSand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
John Furchtenicht Gravel DepositSand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
John Gurrner Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Joseph Andrea Gravel DepositSand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Joseph J. Lalich Gravel DepositSand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Karl Lemke Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Krumviede PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Larry Nelson Sand DepositSand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Lavern Graham Gravel DepositSand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Leroy Bassett Sand DepositSand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Little Stone Lake Gravel DepositSand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Marguerite Frey Gravel DepositSand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Martinson PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Minong Depot Gravel Pit #1Sand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Minong Gravel Pit #2Sand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Morales & Londry Gravel DepositSand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Morris & V. Anderson Gravel DepositSand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Mud Lake Gravel DepositSand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Namekagon River Gravel DepositSand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Namekagon River Gravel DepositSand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Nekoosa Edwards Gravel DepositSand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Norman & Mary Skille Gravel DepositSand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Norman Schnagl Gravel DepositSand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Orville Crotteau Gravel DepositSand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Osterman Gravel DepositSand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
P. & R. Clark Gravel DepositSand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Paffell PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Potato Lake Inv. Co. Gravel DepositSand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Ralph Mortier Gravel DepositSand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Robert Link Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Roberta Kending Gravel DepositSand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
S. Lombard Gravel DepositSand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Severson Lake Gravel DepositSand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Shallow Lake Sand DepositSand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Shell Lake Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Shell Lake Sand Pit #1Sand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Shell Lake Sand Pit #2Sand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Spooner Lake Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Spooner PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Spooner PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
State of Wisconsin Sand PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Sugar Bush Lake Gravel DepositSand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
T. W. Smith Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Tony Roeser Sand DepositSand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Veronica Drost Sand DepositSand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Waggoner Brothers Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Washburn County Gravel Deposit #1Sand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Washburn County Gravel Deposit #2Sand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Washburn County Gravel Deposit #3Sand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Washburn County Gravel Deposit #4Sand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Washburn County Gravel Deposit #5Sand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Washburn County Gravel Deposit #6Sand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Washburn County Gravel Deposit #7Sand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Washburn County Gravel Deposit #8Sand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Washburn County Gravel Pit #1Sand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Washburn County Gravel Pit #2Sand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Washburn County Gravel Pit #3Sand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Washburn County Gravel Pit #4Sand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Washburn County Gravel Pit #5Sand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Washburn County Gravel Pit #6Sand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Washburn County Gravel Pit #7Sand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Washburn County Sand Deposit #1Sand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Washburn County Sand Deposit #2Sand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Washburn County Sand Deposit #3Sand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Washburn County Sand and Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Wesenberg Spring Gravel DepositSand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Wesenberg Spring Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Whalen Lake Gravel Deposit #1Sand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Whalen Lake Gravel Deposit #2Sand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Wilbur Mattson Gravel Deposit #1Sand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Wilbur Mattson Gravel Deposit #2Sand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Wilfred Link Gravel Deposit #1Sand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Wilfred Link Gravel Deposit #2Sand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Wiliam Nehls Sand DepositSand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Wisconsin State Gravel Deposit #1Sand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Wisconsin State Gravel Deposit #2Sand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence

Every populated place in the county

16

Named settlements recorded in the Geographic Names Information System, each with the topographic sheets covering it. Villages, hamlets and abandoned places alike. Each is shown with the nearest named watercourse or landform and the survey quadrangle it falls on.

The vanished settlements of Washburn County: the places named above that are no longer on the map.

Provenance

  • Topographic sheets. USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection, county index, measured from the bulk metadata.
  • Fire insurance maps. Library of Congress Sanborn collection, faceted to this county.
  • Photographs. Each place queried individually against the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs search.
  • Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
  • Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
  • Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.