Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Hayward-Cable region is probably the most visited area in the northwestern lakes re-
gion. Seventeen miles may lie between Hayward and Cable, but they're in the same breath
locally.Surroundedbycountyandfederalforest,andbisectedbytheNamekagon(thenorth
fork of the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway), the area's got lakes and chains of lakes in
every direction and a decided recreational bent.
History
Human occupation on present-day Lac Courte Oreilles Indian Reservation dates to 5000
BC. The Namekagon River was a strategic waterway for the Ojibwa, French, and early set-
tlers.
Hayward at one time was a planetary timber big shot, its boom status starting when a
lumberman named Hayward established the first lumber mills. (Cable, an afterthought as
a community today, actually arose first, as a railroad center and headquarters.) Hayward's
ribaldry and raucousness when timber laborers came roaring into town to spend their pay
was unrivaled (and fully detailed by national media). Timber still plays a role in the local
economy, but the area has fully embraced tourism. The first resort went up on Spider Lake
in 1885, and the little town today absolutely swells in summertime. Even governors have
maintained a “Northern Office” in Hayward.
MM
National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame
Shameless kitsch or North Woods work of art? Judge for yourself the 143.5-foot-tall
muskie and other assorted behemoths in the fiberglass menagerie outside the
National
Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame
(Hwy. B, 715/634-4440,
www.freshwater-fishing.org
,
9:30am-4:30pm daily June-Aug., limited hours Sept.-May, $7 adults). Kids will make a
beeline toclimb theplanet'sonly4.5-storyclimbable muskie,whoseinnardsarealsoamu-
seum (you
will
snap a photo). The real museum is serious business, a four-building repos-
itory of freshwater fishing history and records: 5,000 lures, thousands of antique rods and
reels, outboard motors, and 400 mounted fish, including more than one world record.
Scheer's Lumberjack Shows
Scheer's Lumberjack Shows
(Hwy. B, 715/634-6923,
www.scheerslumberjackshow.com
,
$10) are a hoot and a real-deal look at timber skills. Speed climbing, team sawing, ax
