EAGLE RIVER, Wis. – The Wisconsin Historical Society announces the listing of the Eagle River Historic District in the City of Eagle River (Vilas County) on the National Register of Historic Places. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 13, 2024.
Eagle River developed in the 1880s with a primary commercial corridor that forms the Eagle River Historic District. It is composed of a two-block stretch of East Wall Street and a single block of South Railroad Street that continues to serve Eagle River for both year-round residents and seasonal tourists. The community was originally established as a lumbering town and transitioned to accommodate summer tourists that flocked to the area—first by train and then by automobile—to enjoy the Northwoods natural beauty by fishing, hunting, and boating. While winter sports were introduced in the 1920s, they did not gain widespread popularity until the 1950s and continue to be popular today.
In the 1970s, Eagle River focused on reinvigorating the retail district’s tourist appeal by adopting a city-wide Northwoods Rustic theme for the construction and remodeling of downtown commercial buildings. Over 50 years later, the implementation of the Northwoods Rustic theme remains present and several of the district’s buildings reflect elements of the style. As a result, the Eagle River Downtown Historic District exists today as a unique collection of commercial buildings that reflects the architectural style used in northern Wisconsin.
Additional information for the Eagle River Historic District is available at
https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/NationalRegister/NR2816
To learn more about the State and National Register programs in Wisconsin, visit www.wisconsinhistory.org.
