The original settlement
of Stone Lake was located in Washburn County prior to 1887. The first
residents, like restless tenants, relocated the village on higher land
-- a hill located in Sawyer County. The young village enjoyed an
attractive setting being situated amidst three beautiful lakes - Sand Lake
and Little Sand Lake to the east and Stone Lake to the west. The
little village resembled a gem set on a cushion of greenish black of the
surrounding pine forests.
Transporation was slow and
tedious since travel was done over logging roads and Indian trails.
Horse drawn wagons and ox carts were the mode of travel since the Wisconsin
Central Railway did not complete its Duluth to Chicago division until the
early part of the twentieth century. Mail was carried from Hayward
with ox team and cart. It was a happy day in 1907 when regular passenger
train service was established.
The luxuriant growth of
pines and hemlocks furnished the incentive to exploit this area of Sawyer
County. Logging was the only industry in this region. Millions
of board feet of pine and hemlock lumber were sawed and shipped out of
Stone Lake.
After the forests were cut
away new occupations were sought by the residents. Some of the people
engaged in farming. The soil was not well suited to agriculture since
the base was sand and the top soil was formed by evergreen forest cover.
Evergreen foliage forms a low grade duff quite different from humus formed
by grass and leaf mold.
Other residents foresaw
success in a new enterprise which was becoming popular in the northwoods
country. City folk were beginning to seek relaxation and rest away
from the hurry-scurry and noise of the city. They were traveling
to the northwoods to hunt, fish, and rest. Their homes away from
home were inns and hotels in the villages near the lakes. This mode
of living was inconvenient because travel to and from the lakes was slow
and costly. Resorts began to develop. In the beginning the
resort was a hotel located on a lake shore with boats available to the
guests. These resorts operated only in the summertime. As the
resort business began to flourish, housekeeping cabins were built and entire
families vacationed together. With the advent of the automobiles
and improved roads, resorts were built nearer the less accessible lakes
where the vacationers could rest and relax in peace and solitude.
Stone Lake serves a large
summer population who visit the vacation areas of Sand Lake, Stone Lake,
Lac Court Oreilles, Windigo Lake, Whitefish Lake, Chippewa Flowage, Sissibagama
Lake, Chetac Lake, and many smaller lakes.
Stone Lake offered these
services to its residents and visitors as of 1957: postal, railroad
passenger, freight and express, telegraph, general merchandise stores,
taverns, garages, service stations, lumber and building supplies, cheese
factory, community hall, and public elementary schools.
