Manitowish Waters

 John Dillinger and Baby Faced Nelson made an appearance to Little Bohemia,  which is now famous for the bullet marks in the windows and walls.  

On April 20th, 1934, the first members of the Dillinger gang began to arrive. They ate lunch and checked into a few rooms. Around 5:00pm Dillinger arrived with the remaining guests in two separate cars. The entire party included John Hamilton, Pat Cherrington, Tommy Carroll and his wife Jean Delaney, Baby Face Nelson and his wife Helen Gillis, John Dillinger, Homer Van Meter, his girlfriend Marie Comforti, and Pat Reilly.

An hour after their arrival, the group was served a steak dinner. Afterwards, they went to their rooms and unpacked. They went back downstairs and began to play poker with Emil, but when the steaks got too high, Emil backed out. He later noticed that all of the men were packing guns.

In the morning, Emil began to cook breakfast. He later confronted Dillinger. Dillinger reacted calmly, assuring Wanatka that he would be of no trouble.

In the afternoon, the gang and Emil went outside and took turns shooting tin cans with a riffle...  until it jammed.  

Meanwhile, Mrs. Wanatka took Emil Wanatka jr. to his cousin's birthday party. She used the celebration as an excuse to ask family members for advice on notifying the authorities. She only had a small suspicion that some one had been following her. That someone, as it turned out, was Baby Face Nelson.

Mrs. Wanatka drove to pick up her brother, Lloyd Laporte. Then, she went to mercer to mail a letter addressed to the Assistant District Attorney of Chicago. That letter stated that John Dillinger was at Little Bohemia.

Finally arriving at the party, Mrs. Wanatka talked about the situation with her brothers-in-law, George Laporte, Lloyd, and Henry Voss. Henry was to call the Milwaukee Police Department on Sunday, if Emil agreed to the idea. A pack of cigarettes concealing a note, from Emil, and carried by Lloyd, would be given to Henry early on Sunday morning saying Emil was on board.

Henry drove 60 miles before making the call, to see if he was being followed by the gang. The Milwaukee Police contacted Special Agent Melvin Purvis of the FBI.

About 10:00 in the morning, Pat Reilly and Pat Cherrington drove to St.Paul to to collect $2,500 from a nightclub owner. That nightclub owner was holding approximately $10,000 for Van Meter for safekeeping. 

Henry spoke with Purvis, who announced that he would be chartering two planes of agents to the Rhinelander airport. He requested that Voss meet them at the airport; Voss agreed to do so. Agents in surrounding communities were also asked to join the raid on Little Bohemia. Assistant Director Hugh Clegg was put in charge of the opperation, and Purvis was made second in command.

North Lakeland introduces Outdoor Education to its curriculum for students.  Today it involves hosting school outside for two days, three times a year, and students build on survival skills while learning about pioneers, miners, lumberjacks, and voyagers. By the time students reach 8th grade, they are ready for a two day backpacking trip in the Porcupine Mountains and a three day canoe trip down the Wisconsin River.