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Tom from Hanover Park, IL shares his summer memories:
Hwy 51 was a well traveled route for us as a family. Our summer vacations always consisted of packing up the car (and boat) and heading up to Wisconsin for 3 weeks of swimming, boating and “lazy fishing” (didn’t matter much if we caught much, it was quality time spent with Pop) over the July 4th weeks. We had family that lived in Woodruff (now in Rhinelander). One of our Uncles worked at the hardware store right in the middle of town, junction of 51 & 47. Our other Uncle worked at the grocery/butcher shop just down the street on Hwy 47. The hardware store was one of those “old fashion” hardware stores with wooden floors. They had everything you could think of (tucked away in an aisle somewhere). It had a certain smell about it too. Nothing bad, just different. We loved the quiet, laid back feeling of the small towns. My brother and I would walk into some of the small stores and strike up a conversation with the clerk (probably the owner). We’d say were here on vacation from Chicago. They’d look at us once or twice and say “You must belong to Frank. You look just like him” (our grandfather). Our day always ended up with an ice cream cone from the local Dairy Queen. It wasn’t a vacation unless you had an ice cream cone. Hwy 51 used to pass through what seemed like a million small towns. Now, it bypasses most of the towns (too bad). I have a million memories to go along with all of those small towns from Tomahawk to Minocqua to Woodruff. The log cabin my grandfather built is still standing (and in use) in Woodruff just off “old Hwy 51″. My wife and I still try to make it there every couple of years to visit my Uncle in Rhinelander. But, we stay in Minocqua! Old habits are hard to break. A few times we even took my Dad (before his passing) along with us to boat and “lazy fish”. It was only right. He used to take us up there every summer when we were kids. It was no problem with my wife. The two of them got along great. We don’t fish or boat anymore. I sold the boat a few years after Pop passed away. We go up there to bike ride and get away from the hustle and bustle of the “big city”. Writing this got me a little “choked up” remembering all the good times we had as a family.
Mary shares her thoughts (Cadott, WI):
I loved reading these stories – particularly the ones that include Tomahawk. I grew up as part of a resort family on Lake Alice. My father built two cabins when he returned from WWII in order to provide an income for his widowed mother. After marrying my mother and starting their family, my parents bought and ran Loka-Bay resort. It is the source of countless memories for me, and reading about “The Big Moose”, the log cabin information booth, and the totem pole in town was just great. Although I now live in western Wisconsin, Tomahawk will always be home as I hope to retire there someday.
Monty from Wausau, WI remembers:
In 1960, when highways went through towns and not around them, our family moved from Bloomington, in central IL, to Wausau in central WI. We didn’t really need a map for the move. The directions were pretty easy: Go two blocks east, turn left on Highway 51, go north 333 miles, turn right, go four blocks, turn left, half a block on the right. As a little kid I was always amazed at the simplicity of that long trip that we made two or three times a year to visit our grandparents. My wifes home growing up was along Highway 51 in Tomahawk, 40 miles north of Wausau. And her uncle owned the Hamm’s Bear that was always floating in the little lake along side the highway in Tomahawk. What’s my favorite story on Highway 51? It’s probably the time in the winter of 1972, heading back to school in Madison after Christmas break, Highway 51 was closed down by the state patrol because of a blizzard and 5 college kids in a compact car were forced to spend the night in a $6 hotel room in downtown Westfield. There was a bar/convenience store below the hotel. I don’t know who was more culture shocked, the locals of us or we of the locals.
Pam of Chicago Ridge shares her memories:
As a child my family traveled to Minocqua,Wisconsin each Summer to spend a week in the Northwoods. I can remember waking up at 3:30A.M. and being on the road by 4:00A.M. because our car did not have air-conditioning and my Dad wanted to do most of the driving early in the day. You have to remember the trip use to take many more hours than it does now! I remember my Mom would pack sandwiches and freeze a gallon of lemonade for us to have lunch at a park in Merrill. I can also remember my Dad pointing out landmarks to help the time in the car go by faster. My sister would spot this cheese store/factory shaped like a yellow chedder cheese any yell it won’t be much longer there’s the cheese! The road was moved some years later and now 51 does not pass this anymore. I can also remember waiting in traffic in Tomahawk to make the “Turn” as our family called it. There was this log cabin looking tourist information booth we would see there. I remember begging our Mom a! nd Dad to please stop at the A&W for Rootbeer and they would say not now we’re almost to Minocqua! Seeing the Holiday Acres Horse stable on the side of 51 told me I would be crossing the bridge accross Lake Minocqua in a few minutes. My Dad would yell out get ready the bridge is coming we’re here. Bosacki’s was on one side of Highway 51 and The Lakeview Motel was on the other side with the Public Fishing Bridge next to that. I treasure all the memories of traveling highway 51 as a child and now at age 46. I travel Highway 51 each Summer now with my husband and son. We are creating more memories.
Cindy (West Bend, WI) Writes About Her Recent Journey:
We started in West Bend, went down to Beloit and took the trip all the way to Hurley, and then went to Cable Wisconsin. It was a very nice trip and the people were very friendly and helpful at all the area chambers of commerce. The women at Wausau were very helpful and informative. We would do this trip again . Thanks for the ride it was great!
Some History Notes from Ced in Tallahassee, FL:
Histoy Note. A lot of Black Americans in the State of Mississippi used US 51. They left Mississippi, leaving behind the hard times of picking cotton/sharecropping. Black Americans in Mississippi called US 51 The Chicago Highway.
Karen from Waconda, IL shares her memories:
I’ve been taking the trip up 51 from Chicago since I was 4 years old. My sister and I used to hate the drive until we saw the Peterbilt Truck dealer in Wausau- with the neatest looking pine trees standing in perfect rows, like soldiers guarding a fort. Seeing the exit for County Rd. A was the best feeling; it was like coming home after a long absence. You know, highway 51 really was and still is a road that takes me home- Tomahawk will always be my second home.
Bob and Diane (Chicago, IL) share their love of Hwy 51 (10-4!):
My husband and I have been coming up to Tomahawk since 1975. We stayed at “Fish-a-While” Resort our daughters became good friends of the owners daughters, they still write to one another now and then. Years later when the girls got married we bought a home with two cabins a few houses away from Fish-a-While. Now we are back in Chicago, and we stay at a Resort in Rhinelander, dreaming of maybe moving up there again one day. We always stop at the Pioneer in Westfield. That store was called the comic book store when our girls where small, back than the Pioneer was just a small store with two pumps, but the girls would buy a snack and look for comic books that were on the rack. To this day we still have those comic books! We traveled with as many as three cars on 51 with our cb’s! We would talk to my folks who were ahead of us, on channel 19. What fun we had. Now we travel up north with our daughters and their families up 51 to Rhinelander. No cb’s anymore what a shame! ! One year our daughter Valarie and her husband were coming up to see us when we were living in Tomahawk, hit a deer on 51 in Plover. No one was hurt except the deer, and the car was totaled! But in all the years we traveled 51, that was the only bad thing that happened. We love 51 and can’t wait to be heading up north again soon!
From Libertyville, IL Joe sends us this note:
My parents bought our A-Frame on a small lake near Hwy 51 and M in Arbor Vitae in 1968, the year I was born. I have spent my entire life going Up North a minimum of 6 times a year. I I can remember making the drive from Chicago and it took 8 hours. I remember each town distinctively for their “pit stop”. There was the cool chicken shack with red neon lights. I remember the old drive for an ice cream cone and checking out the old cars junked near by. You really knew you were getting close when you saw the water fall at Merill. I was always excited hitting Tomahawk. The Pines started getting taller and closer to the road. Who can forget seeing the Big Moose Supper Club. My old man would scream “MOOOOOOOOSE” at 2:00AM just to wake everyone up and let them know we were close. I went back the old way last summer and it was refreshing to see the Little Indian at the Alamo Motel as you turned right into town, just pass the Moose. Of course the huge Totem Pole in t! he middle of town was a classic. As the years go buy, the trip gets faster and faster. Drivng the trip North several times a year, you get to know the distance and minutes between towns within 99% accuracy by simply looking at the side of the road and knowing exactly where you are. I love that! I love getting Up North faster, but I do miss the old stops. Best trip yet. 320 miles in 4 hours and 15 minutes.
Passport Drawing winners Willie and Judy (Wausau) share their adventure:
Willie and I won a Highway 51 Get-Away-Package to Beloit, as a result of our completed Passport entry, in the first drawing which was held on August 15th. We were one of the first four winners. Couldn’t believe we finally won something. Our package included a 2 night stay in a whirlpool suite at the Beloit Inn, Dinner for 2 at Denali’s Restaurant, admission for one to the Angel Museum and discount in the gift shop and 2 Visit Beloit Mugs and a t-shirt from the Beloit Convention and Visitors Bureau. We had until the end of this year to take our journey, which we decided to do the weekend of November 3rd and 4th.
We began our trip on a sunny but cool Friday morning, November 3rd, at about 10:30 a.m. We stopped for lunch at the Pioneer Restaurant in Westfield and then were on our way to our destination the Beloit Inn in Beloit. We had a beautiful whirlpool suite which faced the riverside and the wall of the building across the river had murals of old time movies painted on them and at night they would light up. They were really neat. After a little rest and some refreshments we went to Denali’s for a fish fry, which was delicious and only a block from the hotel, so we could walk there.
Our day Saturday began with breakfast at the hotel, which they put on just for the hotel guests. It was really a great breakfast buffet which had fresh fruit, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, muffins, toast or English muffins, juice and coffee. We then proceeded to the Historic Auto Attractions in Roscoe, Illinois which had Presidential limousines from Grant to Eisenhower; Kennedy’s Day in Dallas, Abraham Lincoln’s Chair from his railroad car; gangster Al Capone, John Dillinger and Bonnie & Clyde’s car that they were caught in; cars of the stars including Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash’s “Bits & Pieces”. They had cars from movieland like the Batmobile and from movies such as Ghostbusters, Sanford & Son, Family Vacation and more; many famous race cars and much more. They even have a 1976 Bicentenial Money Car covered with 120,000 coins, the car weighs 3 1/2tons – 1 ton in coins.
We then proceeded to the Antique shops in South Beloit and there were enough of them to keep us busy into the early afternoon after which we went back to Beloit to the Museum of Anthropology. Willie then went back to the hotel and I went to the Angel Museum, which was just block from the Hotel. There were over 11,000 angels in the museum and there were about 4 showcases which were angels that have been given in memory of someone and there was also a showcase that Oprah Wimphrey had donated with black angels. It was really something to see and then, of course, I went to the gift shop and purchased some Angels to take home. Then it was back to the hotel to put my feet and relax until we went back to Denali’s for a Steak Supper, which was again excellent.
All of the people that we met and talked to on our weekend in Beloit were very friendly, courteous and helpful and made our trip so enjoyable we hated to see it come to an end. Sunday morning we were up bright and early and went down for that great breakfast buffet before
Robert (Lake Forest, IL) still recalls his (mis)adventures:
I am 51 years old and have been traveling to Manitowish Waters where my Grandparents owned and operated a small Resort. The route from Chicago to the family place changed over the years but Hwy 51 was the main route especially north of Stevens Point. We traveled this route so much we got to know almost every speed trap along the way. Typically after midnight we would be on the stretch north of Woodruff. One night we were cruising along and a lone car approached and sure enough the radar detector screamed out. We Slammed on the brakes, the headlights dive into the pavement and as the officer past he does a 180 four wheel drift and races up behind us. He was so close to us we could not see his headlights in the mirrors. To break the ice my brother in law says while grabbing the stick shift “should I lose him?” We both laughed our heads off. The officer never did pull us over…..needless to say every time we make that bend in US51 we slow way down for every car that approaches to this day!
Gail From Arlington Heights, IL Recalls:
My family and I went “up north” for as many years as I can remember when I was a kid. My Dad and I would pack the car the night before complete with the big green suitcase that fit between my sister and I to keep us from fighting in the backseat. Mom had the silver cooler stuffed with groceries for the cabin and we’d pull away from our Chicago home early in the morning. It was never hard to get up early for vacation! Mercer was our destination. The Flambo Flowage to be exact. Hwy 51 all the way! It was an 8 hour drive and when we hit Stevens Point we knew we were on our way “up north” – Tomahawk, Wausau…all the points along the way that made actually getting there such a thrill. My Dad worked hard all his life. I always looked forward to vacation because those were two weeks in July that he was relaxed and at “home.” My Uncle Casey and Aunt Lu had a place on the flowage…at one time they owned a resort and then sold it and kept some land where they had a nice home for themselves and a little cabin next door that we stayed in. They were wonderful people who gave me memories of family “Weinni Roasts” and seeing bear at the garbage dump and row boats and loons and lots of afternoons floating in innertubes watching cloud formations. Today, kids go to Disneyland and other “fancy” vacations. I wouldn’t give up my Mercer vacation memories for anything in the world. It was about family and laughing and being together. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to remember those wonderful days upnorth. My husband and I are headed “up” in early October. The memories continue to be made. On behalf of the Schroeder Family…thanks for the memories.
Christine (Wausau, WI) Shares Her Discoveries:
I had never explored Westfield beyond the convenience store just off the exit. Yesterday I spent some time exploring further- and found a beautiful town! As you drive into town there are many older homes that lead into the downtown area. I stopped in at the Miracle Bakery (bought some yummy sourdough bread that I had to hide from the kids until dinner) and the Pioneer Mercantile. The Mercantile has a fun mix of items, even felted soap (an item had never seen before, but it sure is fun.) I also drove through the grounds where the fair is held each year- looks like a great place for a hometown fair. There’s a great town just beyond the convenience store at the exit… I’m off to the next exit to see what I can discover next!
From Batavia, Illinois R. Karl Tells Of His Time Along The Highway:
One of the reasons I had wanted to come to Mercer was to see a close friend of mine that I used to work with. Kurt has a summer home in Mercer and I had promised to look him up. We picked him up at his cabin and took him out to dinner at a place called Club 51, right on Route 51. If you ever are in Mercer and want to have a tremendous dinner, you simply must go to Club 51. Heidi ordered what turned out to be the biggest slab of Walleye I had ever seen on a plate, Kurt ordered Chicken and Ribs and I chose the All-You-Can-Eat Ribs. Complete with a great salad bar, this could easily be one of the best meals I have had… and really reasonably priced at that. We all ate til we were stuffed, and talked, and laughed until my sides hurt. Time had almost stood still for awhile on a cool August night in northern Wisconsin, and I had not felt so relaxed in a long, long time. Wednesday morning, we had one final meal before heading for home – a great little breakfast on the little grill. As we drove south, I marveled at how easy it can be to relax and have fun. It reminded me of a certain commercial about the cost of doing things – the only important part being: we had put the boat in three different lakes in three days, ate well, slept well and spent some quality time with a good friend… priceless! Mercer was friendly and accommodating and it was well worth the drive. I know that there was much more that it had to offer, especially in terms of its quality fishing, hunting and winter sports. And it is a place to which I know I will return.
Dale (of Augusta, Georgia) Tells Us:
I was a long time resident of Hurley WI. I try to make a trip up there every year because of family and friends, and in that 1300 mile journey, there is not a prettier place than Iron county. There is nothing more spiritual than standing on the bank of Peterson falls, or just sitting at Webber lake hoping to catch that rainbow trout, driving through canopy covered roads of colored leaves, or sitting at Saxon Harbor watching the boats and sun dance on lake. The end of highway 51 is Heaven.
Christopher (of Cross Plains, WI) Reminisces:
My grandfather bought a couple of log cabins near Manotowish off Hwy.51 on Grant Lake Road. As a little squirt we used to come up from Dolton, Ill. On summer vacations every year. Me and my younger brother and later my little sis used to get in the back of their 51′ Chevy. My dad used to put a single bed mattress in back and we would leave about 9 or 10 at night on a Friday and we would sleep in the back while my parents headed north on Hwy. 51. At that time it was pretty slow going through all the small towns on the way up. We would stop at Paul Bunyan pancake house in Woodruff at about dawn. Of course me and Stevie would be wide awake by then! Then on to Grandpa’s place. When you got just past Minoqua you could smell the pine trees and there are a few beautiful waysides up there that we would stop at. Then up Gramp’s ΒΌ mile driveway that ended up with a small hill then we could hear his collie “Cookie” bark a couple of times and we knew we were close to Heaven!
Kelly (of Minocqua, Wisconsin) Writes:
I am the Innkeeper at the Bay View Lodge on Lake Minocqua. My husband and I moved here from Illinois 3 years ago. Last year, I developed an interest in Minocqua history and started to collect old Minocqua postcards. I found several lovely postcards from the 20′s and 30′s of a beautiful lakefront road dotted with willow trees called Lakeshore Drive. To my amazement, I found out that it is, in fact, the road that runs behind the motel along the lake and is known as “OLD Highway 51″. This means that we are located directly between Highway 51as it is known today and Old Highway 51 as it was many years ago. I now have a new respect for little road as I can envision the past journeys that thousands have made to their Northwoods destinations.
From Dave (of McHenry, Illinois):
I was eight years old (37 years ago) when we took our first family fishing trip to Tomahawk. My Dad took the Interstate as far as Portage and it was old 51 the rest of the way. When you finally pulled into Tomahawk there was a small log cabin at the south end of town that was the Visitors Center. From there it was approximately 10 miles to “Fish a While Resort” on beautiful Lake Alice. They used to have a small bait and tackle store in downtown Tomahawk that held a weekly fishing contest. I was nine years old and won the weekly prize ($5.00 to spend in the store) for the week’s biggest Northern Pike. Twenty-five years later my son won the weekly fishing contest (small trophy) for the week’s largest perch. My family fell in love with the Northwoods and have not missed a year since.
Marty (of Beloit, Wisconsin) Shares:
Among the unique attractions in the city of Beloit are its numerous examples of public art, many of which can be seen from your automobile while you pass through Beloit on Highway 51. Heading north from the state line you can see a sculpture by local artist Vern Shaffer at the side entrance to the Public Library on Pleasant Street. Just beyond that, if you pull into the parking lot of the Beloit Inn you can view the great murals on the back side of the building across the river, honoring the manufacturing heritage of Beloit. Just south of that building is a small park along the Rock River with yet another Schaefer sculpture rising skyward beside the Grand Avenue bridge. Continuing north along Highway 51 as you approach the intersection with Highway 81, to your left is a work by noted sculptor Siah Armanjani atop a wooden fishing bridge that crosses the river just south of the Portland Avenue bridge. As you proceed north, just before you cross Henry Avenue you will see a very large sculpture to the left along the river. This is another Schaefer work which was originally commissioned by the Warner Electric Brake Company to celebrate that firm’s fiftieth anniversary. Still more examples of public art can be found throughout Beloit’s city center. Ask at the Visit Beloit Center for more information.
Excerpt from “From Beloit to Hurley Along Highway 51″
by Dennis McCann for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
“Mercer (“Home of Claire de Loon”) is famous for the giant loon that greets visitors to Wisconsin’s Loon Capital. . . In the 1980s I wrote about a Mercer man who plowed a golf course each winter on the lake behind his house and, after playing the course one January, called him the finest golf course architect in all of Mercer. (Not to mention, which I didn’t, the only one.) But he was so proud of the title he bought himself a bulldozer and built a real course.”
Jim (of Surprise, Arizona) writes:
It was in the early 50′s that My Dad, my uncle, and a friend of ours from our hometown in Glen Ellyn, Ill. Came up to Minocqua for some muskie fishing with Izzy Catoi a guide out of Circle Lilly Lodge (on 51). We were sitting in the bar at Circle Lilly one night and in comes a fisherman with a story about a fish, so big, it wouldn’t fit in the bed of his pick-up truck. Well, of course that emptied the bar and we all moved out to the parking lot. Sure enough, there was a huge sturgeon with its tail hanging off the back of the pick-up. Those were the days of shooting the muskies to get them in the boat. My Dad brought me back to fish muskies as my graduation present from high school. I was very impressed when Izzy had to shoot my Dad’s fish twice to land it. The next year I was back with my friend Phil Archdale from Ted’s Sandy Beach Resort in Land O’ Lakes. He and I fished the Manitowish Chain, successfully where I caught my first legal muskie on Fawn Lake. That was 1956. My wife and I have been back every year now for the last fifteen years. We stayed on Alder Lake for a number of years and now stay with friends in Winchester. I spend a lot of time looking for wildlife to photograph in addition to fishing a few muskie tournaments. I fished the World Musky Hunt out of Minocqua back in 1981 as a member of the Colorado Team. I have continued to get back for that event. I also have fished the World Championship Musky Classic out of Manitowish Waters for a number of years. It is just a thing with me I need to get back to the Northwood’s every year just to freshen-up. I love it and I always will. So many great restaurants, Voss’s, Little Bohemia, Marty’s Up North, Ding-A-Ling, just to name a few. As a muskie fisherman you have to stop in at Rollie and Helen’s for a fishing license and a few lures. The Northwood’s and Highway 51, great times and great people!