Buswell

The town of Buswell was located off the southwest corner of Papoose Lake in present-day Winchester.

It was started in 1905 with the Buswell Lumber and Manufacturing Company bought land and a small mill. Thirty to 40 families eventually called it home and the sawmills were buzzing. The company was owned by E.W. Buswell who came from the Twin Cities.

It was the end of a railroad line coming from Chicago, and it was a logging town like so many other area towns of the day.

Early settler Abe LaFave drew the map to the left. He attended school at the Buswell school.

The town was a company town, similar to neighboring Winchester or Fosterville/Winegar, and contained a store, a school, a post office, and even a baseball team.

A fire in July of 1910 burned down much of the mill, and the town became a ghost town. Little remains today.