City of Ashland, WI

Government AdministrationWisconsin, United States51-200 Employees

Ashland was incorporated as a City on March 25, 1887. It is located on Chequamegon Bay of Lake Superior. Before being settled by Europeans, this area was home to the Chippewa Indians, who remain an important demographic and cultural force in the area. The first Europeans to come to this area, French and British fur traders and French Missionaries, came via Lake Superior.

Asaph Whittlesey was the first European to build a home and settle in what is now Ashland. When he felled the first tree, he said, “This will be the site of a great city.” Whittlesey later served in the Wisconsin Legislature. At the time, the nearest train station was Chippewa Falls and the only way to get there was to walk one hundred and fifty (150) miles. The photograph of Whittlesey, in his winter garb and snowshoes, has become locally famous. Lake Superior helped Ashland grow as a City, with logs shipped to and processed lumber and iron ore shipped out from, our port. Ashland became the  trading, wholesale, medical, and educational center of northern Wisconsin.

Except for an occasional shipment of coal, Ashland is no longer used as an industrial port. Chequamegon Bay is now used for recreational boating, fishing, swimming, jet-skiing and sail boarding. In the winter, the ice hosts ice-fishing,
ice-racing, and cross-country skiing.

Railroads were also important in Ashland’s development. Ashland was first connected to the nation by rail in 1877. The “Rails to Trails” program provides Ashland with a ten-mile walking and biking loop, and connects the City to an impressive recreational trail system used for biking, ATV riding, and snowmobiling. Ashland is still served by rail, however, including a spur to the southern portion of our Industrial Park. For more historical information, visit the Ashland Area Chamber of Commerce’s website.

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