Why do we call it the Northwoods Forest History  Experience?

Because it is much more than a museum. Each exhibit, in addition to illuminating forest history periods, traditions, and practices, will direct visitors to actual nearby historic sites for further enrichment and with the purpose so central to our mission: Get out and explore! In addition, immediately outside the building will be opportunities for visitors to use actual historic forestry tools like crosscut saws and fire suppression equipment.

status update February 15, 2025

We are delighted to announce a dollar-for-dollar match of your contributions through March 15, 2025.

An anonymous donor has pledged to match up to $25,000 total contributions that come in by that date for any aspect of the Northwoods Forest History Experience. Already we have raised more than $260,000 of our $400,000 goal, and are nearly halfway to our goal of 100+ donors.

For the past four years, we have been quietly planning, designing, and raising funds to restore, renovate, and transform a 1930’s Civilian Conservation Corps building into an immersive, interactive forest history museum and experience that will:

• Contain 6 exhibits from Indigenous to modern times, depicting with artifacts, photos, and digital content the natural, governmental, and business forces and practices that have shaped our Northwoods forests over time
• Encourage visitors to Get out and explore the many historical sites in our area, using an interactive geo-based phone application
• Educate visitors young and old, making them better informed stewards of this precious, abundant yet finite resource

Our goal is to attract at least 100 donors to the campaign. This is where you come in! You can donate in many ways:

• Take advantage of our naming opportunities to put your name or your family’s name on one of our exhibits, areas, or even the building itself: range $5,000-$100,000.
• Buy a brick for the walkway to the building inscribed with your name, that of a loved one, a favorite place in the forest, or other words of your choice: range $250-$2,500.
• Simply make a donation of any size to the project. Every donation, large or small brings us closer to our goal.
•  You can even make a pledge to donate over a period of time. Please contact us at nfhe@discoverycenter.net or call Executive Director Don Anderson at 715-543-2085 for more information.

The Northwoods Forest History Experience is sure to become a treasured community asset to be used by school groups, history enthusiasts, and anyone interested in learning more about historic and present-day forest practices.

On behalf of both organizations – The North Lakeland Discovery Center and the Manitowish Waters Historical Society – we thank you for making this project a reality in 2025.