Point Beach State Forest Improvements – Two Rivers WI

Description

From the Wisconsin DNR website:

“1939: WPA began work on road construction and developing a forest lodge. The lumber came from this forest and shakes came from the Lake Elba prison camp at Rhinelander. Rip-rap came from the Jambo Creek area. Tree planting also began this year with 475,000 trees planted, mostly red pine but also 5,000 white pine and 2,000 spruces.”

From “Joseph W. Soit and the Establishment of Point Beach State Forest”:

“Sometime after the land was purchased [1937] a CCC camp was to have been established but it did not work out. Then the WPA project was organized. Even with that we had trouble in the beginning. The story that the Conservation Department had, there was no labor available in Two Rivers even though we had many men unemployed and on relief. A committee went to see Mr. Harrington and soon after the WPA project was under way to clear the underbrush and what else was needed. Plans were made for the road and recreational building. There were quite a few unemployed in Two Rivers and vicinity. At one time there were some 12 workers on the WPA project. August 1940 the administration building was completed and also now the road built (not black-topped as it is now).”