Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the area's cultural history. Other exhibits also examine cultural history and environmental
issues;theyallputthelietothederisivenicknameonceappliedtotheregion:“TheGodfor-
saken Waste.” The center runs admirable educational programs; even exciting on-the-water
paddle programs are common.
Ashland became a transportation point for millions of tons of ore extracted from the
Penokee-GogebicRangeofHurleyandMichigan'sUpperPeninsula.PierreEspritRadisson
entered Chequamegon Bay as far back as 1659. Father Claude Allouez built the first mis-
sion among the Ojibwa, abandoned in 1669. The propitious bay location engendered trans-
port, and by the 1890s Ashland was shipping twice the tonnage of Milwaukee, Duluth, and
Superior combined.
Ashland's remnant ore docks
All that has changed, though the town's 9,000 hardy souls hang on to one of the bay's
best recreational fishing locations. Touted as the “Garland City of the Inland Seas”—not
an exaggeration but not exactly noticeable—it's a sedate town chock-full of old rail lines,
stained wood docks, aging trestles, and some superb lakeshore vistas.
