Sightseeing the Area

Saxon Harbor: Gateway to The Flambeau Trail Native Americans and voyagers landed their canoes here to portage beaver pelts and trade goods between the Chippewa villages and Northwest Fur Trading Posts. The route used for these trips from La Pointe, on Madeline Island, to Lac du Flambeau, 90 miles to the south, became known as the Flambeau Trail.

 Superior Falls: An ancient Native American footpath, called the Flambeau Trail, originally started here at the Mouth of the Montreal River. Ninety foot high Superior Falls offers visitors a spectacular sight, but it was the first of many impassable obstacles that forced travelers for centuries to portage their goods and gear 45 miles over the Flambeau Trail to reach the closest navigable waterway.

 Little Finland: The proud heritage of the area’s Finnish immigrants is preserved at the National Finnish American Cultural Center (Little Finland). The building’s timbers, once part of the huge Ashland ore docks, are notched together using unique Finnish “fish tail” construction. Visit the Harma House – an authentic Finnish homestead. Special celebrations on traditional festival days feature dancers and choral groups. Traditional Finnish gifts and hospitality.

Flambeau Trail Crossing: Early travelers to Iron County may have stopped to rest here after  following the first 27 miles of the Flambeau Trail uphill from Lake Superior and over the rugged Penokee Mountain Range.

Continental Divide: Stand on the geological dividing line where water flows north to Lake Superior and the Atlantic Ocean or south to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. Since the rivers north of the Divide were not navigable, early travelers had to portage 45 miles from Lake Superior across this point before they could reach a navigable waterway that flowed south. 

Turtle Portage: For centuries Native Americans and voyagers using the Flambeau Trail carried their heavy birch bark canoes and cargo across the wide “plain” between Echo and Grand Portage Lake. This was a summer camping site favored by Chippewa Indian bands, who raised corn and potatoes here. 

Mercer Depot and Historical Society: In 1889 travel by rail replaced travel via the Flambeau Trail when the first  passenger train reached Mercer. The Mercer Depot, the only remaining wooden rail depot in Iron County, has been restored to its turn-of- the –century quaintness. It houses a delightful collection of railroad memorabilia and the Mercer Historical Society. Open to the Public. 
Manitowish: Timberman William Henry Roddis built a logging mill here and established Manitowish as a railroad shipping point for timber throughout the mid-1930’s. No longer would logs have to float down the Manitowish River to mill. Hardwood timber brought the railroad and helped to “open up” this area for development.

Apostle Island Vista: View the Apostle Island archipelago and learn how the islands of this National Scenic Lakeshore were formed. On U.S. 2, 13 miles west of Hurley. 

Penokee Iron Range State Historic Marker: The rugged Penokee Range provides the backdrop for the story of how the discovery of iron ore shaped the area’s history. On U.S. 2, 12 miles west of Hurley. 

Eagle Bluff Scenic Overlook: A spectacular vista of two states and Lake Superior. South of U.S. 2 on County D at the Eagle Bluff Golf Club, one mile west of Hurley. 

Annala Round Barn: The only barn in Wisconsin entirely made of massive field stones. Built in 1917 by Finnish master stonemason Matt Annala, it is privately owned. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places. One mile north of the corner of Dupont and Rein Roads, five miles south of Hurley.