"History of Lincoln, Oneida, and Vilas Counties Wisconsin"
Compiled by George O.Jones, Norman S. McVean and Others.
Printed in 1924 by H.C.Cooper. Jr. & Co., Minneapoli-Winona MN.
ill. 787 pages. The first two hundred pages are history of the three
counties, the remainder of the book is biographies.
Biography
Bishton, William A., who with his wife owns and operates the Bishton
Resort on Mercer Lake, was born in England, Oct. 7, 1850, and came to
the United States in 1872, settling in Chicago. After spending two
years in the meat business in Chicago he removed to Mapleton, Iowa, of
which place he was a resident for the following 20 years. He was next
engaged in the neat business for five years at San Pedro, Calif., and
in 1907 he came to Oneida County, where he met and married Mrs. Louis
JOHNSON. Mrs. BISHTON in maiden life was Mary J. SCOTT; she was born in
the town of Grant, Clark County, Wis., Sept. 14, 1857, and was united in
married to Louis JOHNSON on Oct. 28, 1874; Mr. JOHNSON passed away in 1896.
Seven children, as follows, were born to his union: Eugene, now caretaker
at the M. H. BARNUM resort; Kate, who is Mrs. Paul PLETTENBERG of Winchester
and is the owner of Birchlake resort; Lottie, who was Mrs. James CHOSA and
is now deceased; Robert S., operating a resort on Crawling Stone Lake; Wilbut,
who lives at the Bishton resort; Edna, now Mrs. Joseph M. ADAMS of Montevideo,
Minn.; and Louis, who died at the age of 15 years. The mother of these
children purchased the homestead of her daughter, Mrs. PLETTENBERG, in 1896,
and on this property, which consisted of 80 acres of land on Mercer Lake, she
began the establishment of the present Bishton resort in 1898. A fine property
has been built up; there are six
cottages in addition to the main lodge, and 35 guests can be
accommodated. State Highway No. 70 passes within a mile and a quarter
of the place, so that the facilities for reaching the outside world are excellent,
while at the same time there is that air of seclusion and isolation so pleasant
to the person wearied by the bustle and noise of city life. The adjoining waters
yield an abundance of muskellunge, pike, bass, and pickerel, and many other forms
of recreation are available. Mrs. BISHTON personally supervises the cooking, and
the cuisine is exceptionally fine; a large flock of poultry and a herd of cattle
owned by the management furnish fresh eggs, milk and cream, and vegetables are
produced in beautifully kept gardens located on the property.
Transcribed by Susan Swanson, from pages 236;
History of Lincoln, Oneida and Vilas Counties Wisconsin;
Compiled by George O. Jones, Norman S. McVean and Others;
1924, H. C. Cooper, Jr. & Co.
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