Boulder Junction, Wisconsin

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Boulder Junction, Wisconsin
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Boulder Junction
Location within Wisconsin
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Boulder Junction
Boulder Junction (the United States)
Coordinates: 46°5′16″N89°41′19″W / 46.08778°N 89.68861°W / 46.08778; -89.68861
Country Flag of the United States.svg  United States
State Flag of Wisconsin.svg  Wisconsin
County Vilas
Area
  Total100.4 sq mi (260.0 km2)
  Land81.9 sq mi (212.2 km2)
  Water18.5 sq mi (47.8 km2)
Elevation
[1]
1,663 ft (507 m)
Population
 (2000)
  Total958
  Density11.7/sq mi (4.5/km2)
Time zone UTC-6 (Central (CST))
  Summer (DST) UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code(s) 715 & 534
FIPS code 55-08950 [2]
GNIS feature ID1582845 [1]
Website http://townofboulderjunction.org/

Boulder Junction is a town in Vilas County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 956 at the 2018 census.

Contents

In 1903, the Milwaukee Railroad laid tracks to the area that became known as Boulder Junction. While the railroad served the booming logging industry, it also attracted outdoors enthusiasts who came to fish and hunt. Electricity arrived in 1925. The town of Boulder Junction was incorporated in 1927. Phone service began in 1930. Also in the 1930s, wide-scale replanting began of the trees that had been harvested from the land during the logging boom of the previous decades. [3]

Demographics

As of the census [2] of 2000, there were 958 people, 445 households, and 303 families residing in the town. The population density was 11.7 people per square mile (4.5/km2). There were 1,407 housing units at an average density of 17.2 per square mile (6.6/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 98.23% White, 0.52% Native American, 0.10% Asian, 0.42% from other races, and 0.73% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.52% of the population.

There were 445 households, out of which 20.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.8% were married couples living together, 4.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.7% were non-families. 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.62.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 17.4% under the age of 18, 3.8% from 18 to 24, 20.3% from 25 to 44, 32.9% from 45 to 64, and 25.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 50 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $34,722, and the median income for a family was $41,029. Males had a median income of $30,750 versus $25,556 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,678. About 4.5% of families and 3.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.3% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over.

Geography

The Town of Boulder Junction is located in central Vilas County. The area encompasses the basin of the Trout and Manitowish Rivers, which flow eventually into the Flambeau River. Much of the town is covered by the Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest, whose headquarters can be found on the east shore of Trout Lake. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 100.4 square miles (260.0 km2), of which, 81.9 square miles (212.2 km2) of it is land and 18.5 square miles (47.8 km2) of it (18.40%) is water. Most of the water is smaller and medium-sized lakes, and most of the land is forested in tree typical of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence forest band. The census-designated place of Boulder Junction is located in the town. [4]

Economy

The town's economy depends heavily on tourism. Boulder Junction holds a trademark as the "Musky Capital of the World," based on the fact that more muskies are caught per square mile than any other similar sized area of the world. [5]

A large statue of a "Marty the Musky" in Boulder Junction 20210111-DSC04569.jpg
A large statue of a "Marty the Musky" in Boulder Junction

Transportation

Roads and highways

USH 51 runs through the southwestern parts of the Town of Boulder Junction, running northwest towards Manitowish Waters and south towards Arbor Vitae, Minocqua and Woodruff. The remainder of the town is served by three Vilas County Highways. CTH M runs north-south from USH 51 through the unincorporated community of Boulder Junction—where it meets with CTH K—and provides the main means of accessing the community. It also serves the headquarters of the Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest and several campgrounds along the east shore of Trout Lake. It proceeds northward to a junction with CTH B in the Town of Presque Isle. CTH K runs from east-west across the town, linking it with North Lakeland Elementary School and Manitowish Waters to the west and Star Lake, Wisconsin to the east, via a Wisconsin Rustic Road. CTH H also serves the town, providing a link from CTH K to a junction with USH 51 and Lac du Flambeau.

Airport

The town of Boulder Junction maintains the Boulder Junction Airport (FAA identifier KBDJ), located approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) north of the unincorporated community of Boulder Junction. This local airport features two grass runways for the use of smaller private aircraft. [6]

Recreation

Winter activities include hunting, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing. In summer, golf, camping, paddling, fishing, and biking on the 52 mile paved Heart of Vilas bike trail [7] are popular activities. Year-round activities include horseback riding, bird watching, and hiking. [8]

The Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest is located near Boulder Junction. It consists of 25,000 acres of forest and lakes, with 54,000 acres of surface water in 930 lakes and 250 miles of rivers and streams. Within the preserve is 15,000 square miles of northern Wisconsin woodland. Because of the large number of lakes and rivers in the area, Boulder Junction has been proclaimed the “Musky capital of the world”. [9]

Boulder Junction was formerly home to the Northern Wisconsin National Canoe Base, a national base of the Boy Scouts of America. [10] [11]

Camp Manito-wish trip groups, paddling their easy-to-see orange canoes, are frequently seen paddling the lakes and streams in Boulder Junction and the Northern Highland State Forest. Camp Manito-wish July 2006 039.jpg
Camp Manito-wish trip groups, paddling their easy-to-see orange canoes, are frequently seen paddling the lakes and streams in Boulder Junction and the Northern Highland State Forest.

Boulder Junction is the home of Camp Manito-wish YMCA, which was founded in 1919. Manito-wish offers summer camp programs, wilderness tripping and leadership training for teens, families, schools and youth serving organizations.

White deer

Boulder Junction claims to have the largest herd of white (albino) deer in Wisconsin. [12] The city uses white deer on its advertising and some tourists come to the city just to see the deer. [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vilas County, Wisconsin</span> County in Wisconsin, United States

Vilas County is a county in the state of Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 23,047. Its county seat is Eagle River. The county partly overlaps the reservation of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conover, Wisconsin</span> Town in Wisconsin, United States

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Land o' Lakes, Wisconsin</span> Town in Wisconsin, United States

Land o' Lakes is a town in Vilas County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 861 at the 2010 census. The unincorporated community of Land o' Lakes is located in the town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manitowish Waters, Wisconsin</span> Town in Wisconsin, United States

Manitowish Waters is a town in Vilas County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 572 in the 2018 census. The unincorporated community Manitowish Waters, is also located within the town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phelps, Wisconsin</span> Town in Wisconsin, United States

Phelps is a town in Vilas County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,238 in 2020. The unincorporated community of Phelps is located in the town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plum Lake, Wisconsin</span> Town in Wisconsin, United States

Plum Lake is a town in Vilas County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 486 at the 2000 census. The census-designated place of Sayner and the unincorporated community of Star Lake are located in the town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Presque Isle, Wisconsin</span> Town in Wisconsin, United States

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winchester, Vilas County, Wisconsin</span> Town in Wisconsin, United States

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Lac du Flambeau is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Lac du Flambeau in Vilas County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,845 at the 2020 census. Lac du Flambeau is the major community for the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa tribe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lac du Flambeau, Wisconsin</span> Town in Wisconsin, United States

The Town of Lac du Flambeau is located in Vilas County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 3,004 at the 2000 census. The land base of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa is located within the town and also consists of a large portion of the town. The Lac du Flambeau census-designated place is located within the town. The unincorporated community of Marlands is also located in the town. Lac du Flambeau, situated around Flambeau Lake, is a year-round vacation destination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa</span> Ojibwa Native American tribe

The Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa is a federally recognized Ojibwa Native American tribe. It had 3,415 enrolled members as of 2010. The Lac du Flambeau Indian Reservation lies mostly in the Town of Lac du Flambeau in south-western Vilas County, and in the Town of Sherman in south-eastern Iron County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It has a land area of 107.1 square miles (277.4 km2) and a 2020 census resident population of 3,518 persons. Its major settlement is the unincorporated Lac du Flambeau, which had a population of 1,845 persons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trout Lake (Wisconsin)</span> Lake in Wisconsin, USA

Trout Lake is in Vilas County, Wisconsin, near the towns of Boulder Junction and Arbor Vitae, Wisconsin. With a surface area of 6.208 sq mi (16.079 km2) and a volume of 0.058 cu mi (0.240 km3), Trout Lake is one of the largest lakes in Vilas County. It has 16.1 mi (25.9 km) of shoreline, a large portion of which is undeveloped. There are also seven islands within the lake: Miller Island, Zimmerman Island, Haunted Island, Easter Island, Fisk Island, Chocolate Drop Island, and an unnamed island. It is a dimictic oligotrophic lake that supports a large number of sport fish, which has made it a popular angling destination.

References

  1. 1 2 "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  2. 1 2 "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  3. "History".
  4. Vilas County (PDF) (Map). Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Archived from the original (pdf) on May 16, 2011. Retrieved December 13, 2010.
  5. "Musky Capital of the World Story™ - Boulder Junction". Archived from the original on July 25, 2011. Retrieved February 7, 2011.
  6. "AirNav: KBDJ - Boulder Junction Payzer Airport".
  7. "Heart of Vilas Bike Trail System". Heart of Vilas Bike Trail System. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  8. "Boulder Junction Wisconsin". © 2012 Boulder Junction Chamber of Commerce, Inc. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
  9. "Trip Trivia". Copyright © 2004-2008 TripTrivia Inc. Archived from the original on February 4, 2013. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
  10. Richardson, Bruce (June 3, 2008). "Region 7 Canoe Base" . Retrieved March 21, 2010.
  11. Region Seven Explorer Canoe Base Guide Book. 1971.
  12. The Great White Wonder Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  13. Boulder Junction claims it's home to most white deer in Wisconsin. Why do the ‘magical’ animals inspire such awe? Uhlig, Keith. Wausau Daily Herald , February 24, 2020.