488 
FOREST AND STREAM 
August, 1918 
MINOCQUA TO THE FLAMBEAU BY CANOE 
WISCONSIN LAKES AND STREAMS OFFER MANY DELIGHTFUL CANOE CRUISES BUT 
NO OTHER TRIP HAS MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR RECREATION AND ADVENTURE 
By J. B. GRAY 
N ORTHERN Wisconsin, with its hun¬ 
dreds of square miles of wilderness 
and its thousands of lakes and 
streams, offers exceptional opportunities 
for health and recreation to that large and 
growing army of 
outdoor enthusiasts 
who spend their va¬ 
cations in canoes. 
And this north-state 
wonderland is be- 
coming better 
known and more 
fully appreciated by 
canoeists each year. 
Some Wisconsin 
canoe routes, name¬ 
ly those down the 
Manitowish, Flam¬ 
beau, Wisconsin and 
Tomahawk rivers, 
are already well 
known to hundreds 
of devotees of the 
paddle and are trav¬ 
eled each season by 
large numbers of 
parties. Others, 
equally as attract¬ 
ive, and in some cases offering more op¬ 
portunities for recreation and adventure, 
for some unknown reasons, are, as yet, 
practically neglected, and are traversed 
but by few, if any, canoes in the course 
of the vacation season. 
The average man who spends his vaca¬ 
tion in a canoe is disinclined, I believe, to 
cover the same route twice. He is for¬ 
ever looking for new worlds to conquer. 
The lure of the unknown forever grips 
him. He wants to see new streams and 
lakes, to sweat over strange portages and 
to pitch his camp in unfamiliar forests. 
Just at this season of the year there are 
probably a great many canoeists in the 
Central West who are attempting to come 
to a decision regarding the trip they will 
make during the coming summer. Also, 
there are undoubtedly a great many others 
who this year will spend their first season 
in the woods in a canoe. To these, and to 
all others who may be interested, I wish 
to call attention to a Wisconsin cruise 
which, I believe, is one of the most enjoy¬ 
able and varied that can be found in any 
chain of waters in the state, and which to 
my knowledge has been made by but few 
parties up to this time, at least within the 
past five or six years. 
T HE attractions of this route, which I 
propose to describe in detail, lie in 
the large number of waters through 
which it passes—nine lakes and four rivers 
—and to the fact that it is off the beaten 
trail and in country where the fishing is 
exceptionally good. It is not monotonous 
at any stage of the game. It is a cruise 
that can be made very easily in two weeks, 
and that may be undertaken by anyone 
who has had some experience with a canoe, 
and who is willing to go to the expense of 
some small amount of rather hard work 
in payment for the enjoyment of a trip 
that is out of the ordinary. Although four 
carries are necessary to complete the cruise, 
they are not beyond the capabilities of the 
average canoeist. One of them passes 
through a cranberry bog for about one- 
fourth mile and is difficult to traverse for 
this distance. Another is rather lengthy 
and, therefore, tiring to untrained and un¬ 
hardened legs and shoulders. The other 
two are short' and easy. 
The following account of this cruise is 
not written with the usual idea in mind of 
entertaining its readers. Rather it is set 
down with the end in view to enable any¬ 
one to perform the trip with the knowledge 
of exactly what is ahead of them at all 
times. To enable the reader to better un¬ 
derstand the text, and to serve as a guide 
later, a sketch map of the route is pub¬ 
lished herewith. The writer has also en¬ 
deavored to give all details that will be of 
assistance to anyone who may undertake 
the adventure. In this connection particu¬ 
lar attention has been given to describe the 
character of the country and the waters 
through which the route leads, the quantity 
and the quality of the fish in the different 
streams and lakes, the locations of the 
rapids, dams and the best camping sites, 
the location of the portages and how to 
find them and other detailed information 
that will assist to make the cruise more 
enjoyable and comfortable for those who 
may undertake it. 
The cruise starts on the Minocqua chain 
of waters and the ultimate destination 
may be either Fifield, on the South Fork 
of the Flambeau river, Ladysmith, on the 
Flambeau river proper, or any other town 
decided upon. The waters through which 
the route leads are as follows: Minocqua 
lake, Tomahawk river, Squirrel river, 
Squirrel lake, Diamond lake, Booth lake, 
Buckskin lake, Clear lake, Squaw lake, 
Squaw river, Pike lake, Round lake, South 
Fork of the Flambeau river and, if Lady¬ 
smith or some town farther down is the 
destination, the Flambeau river proper. 
From Minocqua to Ladysmith is about 
80 miles as the 
crow flies. To 
cover the route by 
the lakes and 
streams mentioned 
above one must 
travel about twice 
this distance. 
INOCQUA is, 
perhaps, the 
best point 
from which to start 
the cruise. This is 
a modern little town 
and in it may be 
purchased all sup¬ 
plies and equipment 
necessary to make 
the trip. I would 
advise, however, 
that the canoe, 
tents, packsacks, 
tools, fishing tackle 
and other necessities of the outfit be col¬ 
lected in advance and shipped to this 
point. This will prevent delay and, per¬ 
haps, some disappointments. The grub 
list can be made up conveniently here. 
Minocqua may be reached from Chicago 
over the lines of the Chicago and North¬ 
western and the Chicago, Milwaukee and 
St. Paul railroads. The fare is about $8.00, 
unless it has been raised recently. 
The Tomahawk river may also be 
reached by way of the thoroughfare from 
Minocqua lake to Tomahawk lake, through 
the canal to Lake Catherine, over a mile 
portage to Lower Kaubachein lake, and 
thence down Kaubachein creek to the river. 
This route, of course, is much more diffi- : 
cult than to go directly from Minocqua 
lake into the Tomahawk river, and I can¬ 
not recommend it, especially to the man 
who is making his first canoe cruise. The 
carry from Hazelhurst on Lake Catherine 
to Lower Kaubachein is somewhat lengthy 
and tiresome, and as it must be made on 
the first day before one has had a chance to 
harden to the game, it cannot be consid¬ 
ered as a delightful experience. Further 
Kaubachein creek, for a distance of about 
two miles from its source, is very narrow 
and shallow and has much fallen timber 
across it. Therefore, for this distance 
progress will necessarily be slow and labo¬ 
rious. From this point the creek is readily 
navigable for canoes, and with the excep¬ 
tion of two or three dams and a few old 
tote road bridges there are no obstructions 
to impede progress. The creek twists and 
turns considerably and for quite a distance 
from the river runs through marshy coun¬ 
try. Therefore good camping places are 
not numerous on its lower stretches. This 
is not a serious objection, however, as its 
