Historic Hayward and Sawyer County Sketches Vol. 2

About the Book

Patricia Lacey’s love of Sawyer County history continues within this volume of Historic Hayward and Sawyer County Sketches Vol. 2. Her book takes you on a walk through historic Hayward using over 30 historic photos and postcards to reveal how the community developed and illustrates the buildings that were erected for government, schools, churches, businesses and the “Big Mill”. Three men gave genesis to Hayward; Anthony J. Hayward, Robert Laird McCormick, and Frederick Edward Weyerhaeuser. All of these men departed Hayward after the timber was harvested. However, they continued to lead lives of consequence, maintaining influence on the development of the United States. This sketch follows one to the gold fields of Alaska, another to the forests of Washington State where the trees were almost 400 feet tall and 15 feet in diameter, and a third who became the richest man in the world. The author’s next sketch examines the expanded legacy of Ted Moody, the owner and builder of Moody’s Lodge on Spider Lake. In July of 1925, Moody and several executives from the Morton Salt Company founded the No-Pi-Ming Association, an over 4,000 acre hunting and fishing refuge, located east of Spider Lake. The No-Pi-Ming property remains intact and the current membership continues its mission of recreation and conservation. Birch bark is a miracle of nature. It is the substance which early Ojibwe depended on for survival. A very important Ojibwe document was drawn on birch bark and delivered to the President of the United States. Follow the sketch of Chief Buffalo, a magnanimous Ojibwe leader who would not take no for an answer. The Knapp, Stout & Company logged the pine forests, in the watershed of the Red Cedar River, as far north as Big Chetek Lake in southern Sawyer County. In this sketch you will read about “Big Jim” Bracklin, the murder of two Knapp, Stout & Company loggers and a fire that began on the east shore of Big Chetek that, except by the grace of God, nearly took the lives of three young men. Lacey’s final sketch explores the community of Ojibwa in Build it and they will come…or will they? Experts from the University of Wisconsin-Madsion and the Wisconsin Colonization Company attempted to develop a choregraphed community surrounded by “Made-To-Order Farms.” Optimistic settlers battled poor soil, a short growing season, and a myriad of stumps. When revealing the depth of these narratives, the author makes every attempt to make history come-to-life. Each sketch exhibits historic photos and postcards (over 100 in total). To ensure accuracy, 290 footnotes document all resources. Yes, Lacey believes history can be fun and she hopes you will find her book an entertaining read. Perhaps it will reveal something amazing about the history of Sawyer County.

About the Author

Author Patricia Lacey’s passion resides in the research of people, places, and events in Wisconsin’s history. As a little girl, Lacey was exposed to her father and uncle’s interest in the civilizations and artifacts of Wisconsin Indian Tribes, going back to the Woodland and Copper cultures. Both men were active in the Wisconsin Archaeological Society and for Lacey the best adventure was their yearly picnic where tables of relics could be explored for treasures. Lacey’s interest in history became fully forged with her career as a National Register Consultant. For over twenty years, she worked with individual property owners, the Wisconsin Historical Society, and the National Parks Service to author over forty successful Wisconsin National Register Nominations, including one in Sawyer County. “I look at history as an unfolding mystery or puzzle, and I am the detective with the big magnifying glass. Through persistence, I find the clues and the resources that put the puzzle back together…that’s where the fun comes in!