The Disappearing River

For many years, people have lived along the Wolf River. They have used it for many purposes. In the early 1900s, much of the forests were cut down and the logs were sent down the river to sawmills. The river carried large logs, sticks, and many other pieces of debris. As the logging period ended, the sticks and logs were left floating in the river. Sometimes these pieces became caught. If the river was narrow, sticks and leaves piled up all the way across the river like a dam. Sometimes plants even began to grow on the piles. The river flowed underneath the piles, but sometimes it looked like the river had disappeared!

About 1850, a group of men decided to explore the Wolf River. They wanted to see where the river began. They traveled north from Shawano and went through the Menominee Reservation. Just outside the reservation a large pile of sticks and logs covered the river for almost a half mile.

When the men reached the place where the river was covered, they were amazed. It looked as though the water was boiling up from the ground just ahead of the debris. One of the men was John Gilmore. When he saw this, he exclaimed, "There's no need to look further, for this is the source of the river!"

The others agreed, but decided to travel a little farther. Soon they found open water again and told Mr. Gilmore that he was wrong. They realized that the river had just been flowing underneath the logs and sticks. They continued to follow the river, but called that spot in the river, "Gilmore's Mistake." You can visit that spot today at the Wild Wolf Inn located on Highway 55 just south of White Lake.

Source: Whitehouse, J.L. "The History of the Wolf River." 1947. Typescript at Shawano City/County Library.