Originally covered by magnificent stands of forests, the northern two-thirds of the county consisted of cutover lands which attracted farmers from the corn belt during World War I. Wartime prosperity and settlement were followed by agricultural depression and farm abandonment during the 1920's, creating a crisis for Marinette County government. In 1928, six of the 18 county towns could not pay their highway assessments and because of sparse settlement, Marinette County pupil costs were 40% higher than the state average. The county had less than 2% marketable timber left, although three-quarters of the county's industry was dependent on wood. In 1930, the county registered 14,000 acres as non-taxable forest land, and in 1933 established a county forest and began reforestation. The county forest has grown to 227,000 acres, and includes many parks and campgrounds on its rivers, reservoirs and lakes. During the first 30 years, 1930-1960, the county grossed $1,000,000 in timber sales; in the year 1986 alone, the county grossed $1,000,000 in timber sales. The forest has matured.
Comments 0 comments