APOSTLE ISLANDS

NAME: Apostle Islands COUNTY: Ashland and Bayfield ROADS: 2WD GRID: 1 CLIMATE: Snow in winter, cool summer BEST TIME TO VISIT: summer

COMMENTS: These 22 islands are located off the northern tip of the state, about three miles east of Bayfield. REMAINS: Foundations, residents....

The earliest known settlement was a French fur trading post established in 1693 by Pierre le Sueur. Over the years the English and Americans established fur-trading posts, and during the mid 1800s the islands were logged heavily, quarried for sandstone, and were regional centers for fishing and furring. By the end of the 19th century, and early part of the 20th, many summer homes and resorts had been established on Madeline Island, but all the others had been abandoned. Since 1970, all the islands (except Madeline) have been protected as a National Lakeshore, and second growth timber has virtually restored the islands to their former glory. By the 1990s, only Madeline Island was still occupied, all 165 people living in the town of La Porte. Submitted by: Cynthia Johnson

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