Winchester
When it was founded: Winchester (Turtle Waters) was originally part of the Presque Isle civil town, until it split up and became Winchester, May 11, 1921.
1890-1917- Buck's Divide Resort
The resort was located on the narrow piece of land between North Turtle Lake and South Turtle Lake. It was one of the first places around to have electricity and a telephone. The resort consisted of a hotel and cottages, and it even had a bowling alley!
1902- Turtle Lake Lumber Company founded
Several logging men from lower Michigan came to Winchester and organized the Turtle Lake Lumber Company. One of them was Walter Winchester. This group remained inactive until 1905 when a small sawmill was built. In 1907 a bigger mill was built and the original one was turned into a shingle mill.
1902- Named after the man in shiny shoes (Walter Winchester)
Walter Winchester came from Lower Michigan and bought the lot described as Sec. 5 Township 43 North Range 5 East. He was a tall thin man and everyone knew him for always wearing very shiny shoes.
1910- First School
The school was constructed in 1910 by the Turtle Lake Lumber Company. It was a one room schoolhouse that served kids in first through eighth grade. The highest enrollment was 80 students, but it closed in 1966 because of declining enrollment. Students in Winchester either went to school in Presque Isle or Manitowish Waters, and older students went to Hurley or Lakeland in Minocqua. In 1971, North Lakeland Elementary School opened and Winchester students attended school there.
In 1985 the building became the town library.
1911 - Mill burned down
In 1911, the mill burned down and only the shingle mill was rebuilt.
1921- Winchester was separated from Presque Isle
Voters took the train or rode in some of the first cars in the area to Presque Isle to vote to separate from Presque Isle and become their own town.
1926- Mills Closed (Lumber company ended)
The Town of Winchester had an active logging company until the summer of 1926. The lumber barons had taken all they could from the land for their own and closed the mill. The mill was sold to another lumber company in Hiles, Wisconsin. Some families followed the mill for business, while others went to Phelps and places where they could find work. Those who stayed either established resorts, farms, or businesses. The town was sold as a unit to the Steuben Outdoor Club, a company from Chicago who had hopes of turning the town into a large resort!
1960's- Bear Bar built
Art LaHa, a famous bowhunter from Winchester, built the Bear Bar Lodge and Restaurant so the people he guided on bowhunting trips would have a place to stay and eat. It survived two fires - one in 1977 and one in 1987. Art LaHa was inducted to the Bowhunter's Hall of Fame in 1996.
2016 - Library Remodel is finished
After several years of fundraising, enough money was realized to completely remodel the inside and outside of the old school building. The building was gutted to the studs, and the siding was stripped from the outside. Care was taken to make it look as similar as possible to the old school building. The building is now preserved to last for many more generations.
Projects by the Class of 2022
Projects by the Class of 2023
Growing Up in Winchester - an interview.pdf