Ashland County

Posted by Melissa Ryan on June 30, 2009
Categories: Website ; 72 Counties in 72 Weeks

“I’m glad to be back in northern Wisconsin. I am, I think, the second President of the United States to spend the night in Ashland. Calvin Coolidge was here for some weeks, some days, but he never said a word; and I was here for one night and spoke all the time! In any case, I appreciate very much your coming out and welcoming us back. This trip, which is a conservation trip across the United States, came about as a result of a suggestion by your junior Senator, Gaylord Nelson, who made conservation his great work as the Governor of Wisconsin, and has had a strong conviction as Senator, as do I, that every day that goes by that we do not make a real national effort to preserve our national conservation resources is a day wasted.”

-President John F. Kennedy, during a visit to Ashland County, September 24, 1963

In 1963 President Kennedy chose Ashland County to highlight the importance of conservation and protecting the environment.  Ashland County is known for its natural beauty, including the Apostle Islands, most of which fall within its borders.  The Great Divide, where water flows both north into Lake Superior and south into the Mississippi, and the Chequamegon National Forest are also located there.

Approximately 58,000 acres of Ashland County’s land are owned and managed by farmers.  Milk is the most common product, but Ashland also produces many horticultural products including landscape trees.  Also located in Ashland are quarries that produce black granite and brownstone.

Facts of Interest

• The town of Ashland’s Main Street Business District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  It boasts a Mural Walk created by two local artists, Susan Prentice and Martinsen Kelly Meredith, which depicts scenes of the town’s history.
• The town of Glidden displays the world’s largest-recorded black bear.  It stands over 107” tall.
• The Ashland Historical Society Museum is run entirely by local volunteers.

Local Links

• Ashland Chamber of Commerce
• Ashland Historical Society
• The Daily Press
• Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest on Twitter
• Superior Trails: The Mural Walk

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