Cisco, Cisco, Cisco, part 16 – Cisco, Wisconsin

: 1938 USGS Aerial Photo of Stateline, WI

I’m trying to build the N scale replica of the town of Cisco, Utah circa 1970. Accordingly, it’s my routine to search “Cisco” on the web, but it goes wrong most of the time bothered by “San Francisco” or “Cisco Systems”. Sometimes, “Cisco, Texas” gets in my way. Thus, I was wondering how many “Cisco”s are there in the United States. My recent research during these Stay Home days revealed some of them. Let me introduce these places named Cisco as a sideshow for my Town of Cisco posts.


Cisco Chain of Lakes, Vilas, Wisconsin/Gogebic, Michigan: the Cisco Post Office was located on E Duck Lake Rd today at the town of Stateline, WI opposite the Milwaukee, Lake Shore & Western Railway’s State Line, later Land O’Lakes station located between Monico, WI and Watersmeet, MI[1, 2]. The leading role of the region was forestry, later tourism.

The Cisco Post Office was operated between 1908 and 1914[3]. Charles Augustus “Chas” Bent(1856 – 1932) was the original and the sole postmaster[4]. The origin of the name is maybe the Cisco Lake or Cisco Branch of the Ontonagon River both within the state of Michigan; Cisco is a French Canadian borrowing from Ojibwa for a kind of whitefish called Lake Herring, Coregonus artedii. After the closure, letters were forwarded to Donaldson.


The MLS&W line reached the WI/MI border in 1883, herewith the State Line station was established same year[5].

Rudolf Otto Mill, established in 1886 and succeeding Mason-Donaldson Co. Mill since 1905 on the south shore of Mill Lake attracted laborers to form the community later called Donaldson[6]. It centered around the corner of Hwy B and Town Collection Site (Town Garage) Rd today two miles west of the depot[7].

The original State Line Post Office near the depot was operated between 1887 and 1907 at the corner of Hwy B and E Duck Lake Rd today, with Rudolf(Rudolph) Otto(1844 – 1898) as the original postmaster[3].

The State Line Post Office moved to Donaldson in 1907 and operated as Donaldson Post Office with Charles W Fish as the original postmaster[3]. Thus, the Cisco Post Office seems established next year at the town of Stateline. The Donaldson Post Office survived until 1919.

The town of Stateline was incorporated also in 1907. The second State Line Post Office succeeding the Cisco Post Office was established in 1919[3]. The town was renamed to Land O’Lakes in 1948[8]. The post office was also renamed to Land O’Lakes in 1923, and has been operating to this day[3].


There used to be two schools in the area: Donaldson School and "Michigan" School on Duck Lake Rd in MI. Donaldson School was established in 1907. Succeeding Land O'Lakes School was founded in 1931. "Michigan" Schoolhouse was later moved to Watersmeet, MI, and became the Minnie’s Cafe. However, unfortunately, it seems torn down in 2014.


Construction of the permanent low dam at the Cisco Lake outlet to the Cisco Branch of the Ontonagon River in 1931 created the chain of interconnected lakes called Cisco Chain of Lakes today[9]. Since, the region became a summer vacation destination well known for fishing, boating, and other outdoor activities.

Until 1971, Flambeau “400”, later Bi-Level Flambeau “400”, eventually trains #153 and #216 connected Land O’Lakes and Chicago. Oct. 1965 Trains magazine represented the Flambeau “400” in the "Would you believe it?" column as it was consisted of only a E7 and a bi-level coach. The MLS&W line, eventually Chicago & Northwestern Railway Eagle River Subdivision remained in operation until 1981[8].

Once, a 5.4 mile branch diverted from Stickley, MI reached C&NW Cisco Lake terminus[10]. The Northern Lakes Special, later Wisconsin Lakes Special, consisted of a FP7, a E7, a coach, and two sleeping cars as of 1960, connected Cisco Lake and Chicago on summer weekend nights between 1917 and 1963[11, 12].

revised, Apr. 29, 2021

revised, May 13, 2021

[1] The Town of Land O’Lakes Formerly Stateline & Donaldson, Northern Waters Museum;
[2] Chicago & Northwestern Eagle River Subdivision, Railroad Operating Information;
[3] Forte, Jim, Vilas County, Wisconsin Post Offices, Jim Forte Postal History;
[4] 1909 Official Register of the United States, United States Department of the Interior;
[5] Wisconsin Railroad Timeline: 19th Century;
[6] Premo, Dean, (2007) Black Oak Lake Watershed Protection Program: Adaptive Lake Management Plan, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources;
[7] Jun. 23, 2016 Border Bulletin;
[8] Timeline – 1981, michiganrailroads.com;
[9] Hanchin, Patrick A., (2008) The Fish Community and Fishery of the Cisco Lake Chain, Gogebic County, Michigan and Vilas County, Wisconsin with Emphasis on Walleyes, Northern Pike, and Muskellunge, Fisheries Special Report 47, Michigan Department of natural Resources Fisheries Division;
[10] Location: Cisco Lake, MI, michiganrailroads.com;
[11] Hermolin, Joe, (2016) Antigo's History Linked Closely To The Railroad, Antigo Daily Journal;
[12] Apr. 1961 photo section, Trains, Kalmbach

: 1907 Report of Site of Location for Cisco Post Office
: Jun. 28, 1912 Chicago Examiner
: Google maps, Cisco, WI
　
　　
筆者がNスケールで復元しようとしているユタ州Ciscoについて調べようとインターネット検索すると、余計なページばかりよく引っ掛かる。最も邪魔なのはSan Francisco、次いで邪魔なのはCisco Systemsに関連するページである。テキサス州にあるCiscoという町に関連するページも結構邪魔だ。一方、お目当てのユタ州Ciscoの町に関連するページなどほとんどない。一体何件の「Cisco」がアメリカにあるのか。古い郵便局一覧を調べてみると、ユタ州Cisco以外に 14カ所ものCisco郵便局があったらしい。どんなところだろう。


Cisco, Wisconsin: 六カ所目のCisco郵便局は、Milwaukee, Lake Shore & Western RailwayのState Line駅の向かいに1908年に開局し、1914年まで開いていた。名前の由来は近くのCisco Lake、またはそこから流れ出るCisco Branchと思われる。Ciscoというカナダ仏語は、この辺りの先住民であるオジブワ族の言葉で、この辺りでよく獲れる白身の魚を指す。

入植当初は、３キロほどしか離れていない、1886年創業の製材所を核とするDonaldsonという集落および1883年開業の駅を核とするStateline集落の間で、色々と綱引きがあったようだ。Cisco郵便局はその最中にStateline集落側に開局した郵便局である。1919年にState Line郵便局として再開、その後Land O’Lakes郵便局に改名、現在に至っている。

地域の主要産業が林業から観光業に移り変わるにつれて駅側が優勢となり、1907年にStateline町、1948年にLand O’Lakes町、と改名を繰り返し現在に至っている。一方、Donaldsonの方は森に還りつつある。

近くの湖水群Cisco Chain of Lakesは1931年に生まれたダム湖である。そこにリゾートとしての活路を見出したC&NWが、シカゴから八時間余りで到達するFlambeau “400”という直通列車を1971年まで運行していた。現在も釣りが盛んなリゾート地である。