Iron County Lakes and Rivers Alliance and Fe University will present a program on the legendary Flambeau Trail with local historian Jim Bokern, Saturday, July 28th at 9:00 AM at the Mercer Town Hall, (Haines Building). This program will precede the ICLRA annual business meeting.
Historically, good portage routes connecting the south shore of Lake Superior to abundant inland lakes were limited and critical to native communities. Later, French fur traders named the 40 mile portage from the Montreal River’s mouth to Long (Portage) Lake in Iron County, the Flambeau Trail. This vital overland link provided much more than trading posts logistics in Lac Du Flambeau. For 100’s of generations, diverse communities relied on the Flambeau Trail to access both Great Lakes and interior lakes to sustain their culture. Please join us to explore the remarkable history of the Flambeau Trail through images and journals citations from the 19th century illuminating this unique chapter of Iron County history.
Jim Bokern, resident of Manitowish Waters, began teaching high school History in 1981. For his Masters Degree he wrote his thesis on the History and the Primary Canoe Routes of the Six Bands of Chippewa from the Lac Du Flambeau District. Besides teaching various AP History and Government classes, Bokern also has lead two archeological surveys on the Manitowish Waters Chain of Lakes, co-developed the Digital Time Traveler Program at the North Lakeland Discovery Center, worked as project historian on two grants with the Lac Du Flambeau Historic Preservation Office, and documented the historically significant 6 Pause Portage in Iron County. He is currently president of the Manitowish Waters Historical Society and continues active research in the region.
Please join ICLRA and Fe University on July 28th, 9:00AM, at the Haines Building, 2657W Railroad St., Mercer. The program is free and open to the public, and all are welcome to stay afterwards to participate in the ICLRA annual business meeting. Information on Fe University, Iron County’s “college” for seniors, and ICLRA will be available at the program. The purpose of ICLRA is help preserve Iron County waters through educational programs like this one. Jim Bokern will be teaching a future class for Fe U on the Flambeau Trail.