Upper Wisconsin Conference

The Upper Wisconsin Conference is a former high school athletic conference with its membership base in the northern part of the state. Founded in 1926 and disbanded in 1937, the conference and its member schools were affiliated with the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.

History

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Location of Original Upper Wisconsin Conference Members

The Upper Wisconsin Conference was formed in 1926 by seven small high schools in far northern Wisconsin: Butternut, Fifield, Glidden, Hurley, Iron Belt, Mellen and Park Falls. ^{[1] [2]} Charter members of the conference were located in three counties (Ashland, Iron and Price) and five of the original seven schools were located along Wisconsin Highway 13, a major north-south thoroughfare connecting Wisconsin Dells and Superior. Hurley left the Upper Wisconsin Conference in 1928, ^{[3] [4]} only to return the next year. ^[5] Their second stint in the conference ended in 1932, and the circuit continued with six member schools. ^[6] In 1935, Fifield left the Upper Wisconsin Conference and were replaced by Saxon to keep the roster at six schools. ^[7] By this time, the conference was referred to informally as the Soo Line League. ^[8] Fifield rejoined the conference the next year, offsetting the loss of Mellen and Park Falls to independent status. ^[9] The conference ended play in 1937 after failing to agree to a league schedule. ^{[10] [11]}

Conference membership history

School	Location	Affiliation	Enrollment	Mascot	Colors	Joined	Left	Conference Joined	Current Conference
Butternut	Butternut, WI	Public	57	Midgets		1926 [1] [2]	1937 [10] [11]	Independent	Northern Lights
Fifield	Fifield, WI	Public	N/A	Vikings		1926, [1] [2] 1936	1935, [7] 1937 [10] [11]	Independent	Closed in 1962 (consolidated into Park Falls)
Glidden	Glidden, WI	Public	N/A	Vikings		1926. [1] [2]	1937 [10] [11]	Independent	Closed in 2009 (merged into Chequamegon)
Hurley	Hurley, WI	Public	192	Midgets		1926, [1] [2] 1929 [5]	1928, [3] [4] 1932 [6]	Independent	Northern Lights
Iron Belt	Iron Belt, WI	Public	N/A	Hornets		1926 [1] [2]	1937 [10] [11]	Independent	Closed in 1957 (consolidated into Hurley)
Mellen	Mellen, WI	Public	81	Granite Diggers		1926 [1] [2]	1936 [9]	Independent	Northern Lights
Park Falls	Park Falls, WI	Public	N/A	Cardinals		1926 [1] [2]	1936 [9]	Independent	Closed in 2009 (merged into Chequamegon)
Saxon	Saxon, WI	Public	N/A	Knights		1935 [7]	1937 [10] [11]	Independent	Closed in 1964 (consolidated into Hurley)

Membership timeline

References

1. "New Prep League for North State". Stevens Point Journal. 2 December 1926. p. 4. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
2. "Mellen Leads Basket League". Iron County Miner. 28 January 1927. p. 2. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
3. "Glidden Still On Top". Iron County Miner. 10 February 1928. p. 2. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
4. "Mellen Has First Game Next Tuesday". Ironwood Daily Globe. 23 November 1928. p. 3. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
5. "First Road Game Lost By Midgets". Ironwood Daily Globe. 8 March 1930. p. 7. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
6. "No Tourney for Iron Belt Quint". Ironwood Daily Globe. 8 March 1933. p. 7. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
7. "School League Officers Named". Ironwood Daily Globe. 2 October 1935. p. 8. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
8. 1936 Torch. Park Falls High School. 1936. pp. 39–40.
9. "Saxon Quintet Leads League". Ironwood Daily Globe. 25 January 1937. p. 7. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
10. "School News in Iron Belt". Ironwood Daily Globe. 18 October 1937. p. 4. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
11. "Saxon Cagers to Open Play". Ironwood Daily Globe. 16 November 1937. p. 7. Retrieved 8 May 2025.