Barnes, Wi

Description

In the year 1888, George S. Barnes came to this area with his wife Martha, and daughter Euseba. After looking the surrounding country over, he decided to settle on Island Lake and build a small home. The country at that time, was largely an unsettled wilderness, heavily forested and inhabited mainly by Indian families, a few hardy woodsmen and abundant wildlife. Their nearest neighbors were two Chippewa Indian families, John and Eliza Morrison and the Bosquets, Mrs. Bosquet being a sister of Mrs. Morrison. They were all very helpful people to the Barnes family, who had made up their mind to make this area their permanent home. This same Island Lake is now known as Potowatomi Estates. Also, Dr. and Mrs. William Gray had a summer home on the Island. Dr. Gray's grandson, William Percell, spent his childhood summers with his grandparents there. In his later life, he wrote a book, "The St. Croix Trail Country", telling of his young life spent at Island Lake and of the people who became his friends. Mrs. Nettie McCormick, widow of Cyrus McCormick, the inventor of the Harvester, visited Dr. Gray and his family in 1887. Her late husband was a business partner of Dr. Gray in Chicago, and she came here for the first time to see the property which she and Dr. Gray had purchased. They secured legal possession of Island and surrounding forest in Bayfield County, Wisconsin. In 1905, George Barnes sold a team of colts and used the money to go to Madison, Wisconsin to appear before a...

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