THS announces winners of 3rd annual Darlene Wurl History of Tomahawk essay contest

TOMAHAWK – On Thursday, Dec. 19, the winners of the 3rd annual Darlene Wurl History of Tomahawk Essay Writing Contest were announced in the Tomahawk Middle School (TMS) cafeteria.

Darlene Wurl was an educator in Tomahawk and dedicated her life to children, with an emphasis on their writing and language skills.

In conjunction with the Tomahawk Area Historical Society, Pat Pietilla and Tomahawk High School (THS)’s English/Language Arts and Social Studies departments, this has become an annual tradition to remember Darlene Wurl and the history of our community.

Over the course of the first semester of the school year, students took part in a process of writing about different historical events, people or themes in Tomahawk. During this time, students were able to visit the Historical Society on Tuesday, Nov. 5. From this, students were able to tour the facility and formulate ideas for their paper.

Students also had the opportunity to access the Tomahawk Public Library, books about Tomahawk and the Learning and Media Center at the high school.

After receiving submissions from students of the Class of 2027, a grading panel picked the top essay, along with 2nd and 3rd places.

Andrew Voermans took first place, followed by Phoebe Hrdina and Exxie Walbeck.

‘Tomahawk Logging History’ by Andrew Voermans

“I wonder what logging was all about back then?” Turns out back when Tomahawk first became a city, it was known for its big logging industry which is mainly the reason for it being a boomtown then. But there were some interesting things about the logging like the development of it and the role of our town founder William H. Bradley. 

Back in 1886, Bradley alongside three railroad companies put together the Tomahawk Land and Boom Company, which Bradley became the first president of. In accordance with the organization they built some logging camps two miles south of the present day city. This is where they constructed a dam from 1886-89 to form a lake for logs to be stored and sorted for mills down the river. In 1888 they also built a mill and through a treaty with the Chippewa tribe that lived in the region, logging was able to operate. Alongside this mill where many other mills that were constructed in the area from 1889 to 1890. 

According to the Genealogy Trails, “At the heyday of the lumber industry here the annual cut at Tomahawk ran from 60,000,000 to 75,000,000 feet of lumber with about 25,000,0000 shingles.” This meant there had to have been a lot of people living in Tomahawk for this to even be possible, and there was. With roughly 2,000 occupants, Tomahawk became a boomtown and was given the nickname “Magic City” when it was incorporated in 1891.

To sum it all up, logging was a very significant part of Tomahawk’s history even before it had been incorporated. As logging had sparked the popularity of the area, which allowed for William Bradley to call Tomahawk another city in the beautiful northwoods of Wisconsin. In fact, the city purchased, in 1910, “Hog’s Back” from the Bradley Co. for $10,000.00 which has 105 acres of virgin pine, and they later renamed it to Bradley Park in honor of William Bradley’s dedication to the city’s development.

‘Washington Square Park’ by Phoebe Hrdina

What now occupies Washington Square Park on North 4th St., Tomahawk is a dream park that has been in the making since 2021 and is now complete. It is now an all inclusive park with wheelchair access and a splash pad. This essay will be talking about what came before the dream park many years ago, the Washington School and its infamous fire, and how it affected the Town of Tomahawk, Wis.

In February of 1907, the city of Tomahawk unanimously voted to issue $40,000.00 in city bonds to obtain funding to build a new school. This high school was built at Washington Ave. and 4th St., at the location of Washington Square Park. This building was a high school until December of 1958, when a new high school was opened on Kings Road. The old building was renamed the Washington School, and it was then used as an elementary school.

The Washington School was destroyed by a fire on Saturday, Aug. 12, 1978. The fire started around 1:18 a.m., people passing by noticed smoke coming from the building. Around 36 firefighters from Tomahawk, Merrill, Rhinelander, and the Town of Nokomis responded and fought the fire for about 90 minutes before it was under control. The cause of fire was ruled “accidental” by then-State Deputy Fire Marshall Leslie A. Mayer. No specific accidental cause was reported, but arson was ruled out after investigating. Lester Hanke, Tomahawk’s Fire Chief at the time, was quoted in the Tomahawk Leader article saying the building “was just a-glowing” when firefighters arrived. 

When the fire was at its peak, firefighters were pumping 4,500 gallons of water every minute from three nearby hydrants. They estimated that 200,000 gallons of water was used to put out the fire. Around 6,000 feet of 2 1/2 - inch hose was utilized by the firefighters that were fighting the flames. Although Hanke and two other firefighters received injuries that Hanke described as “superficial,” no one was seriously hurt during the fire. Over the next few days firefighters kept checking in on the building to make sure another fire wouldn’t happen again.

At the time the school was destroyed in the fire, it housed around 450 children in grades three through six. Most of the damage occurred on the top two floors of the three-story building. The Tomahawk Leader said the loss was around $1.5 million, making it the most expensive fire to occur in Tomahawk. 

In summary, Washington Square Park now stands as a welcoming, all-inclusive, community park which symbolizes the resilience in Tomahawk. Once home to the historic Washington School, which we tragically lost in a 1978 fire, the park represents both the town’s past and enduring spirit. The park now stands on a plot of history that Tomahawk will never forget.

‘Who made Tomahawk Happen?’ by Exxie Walbeck

Population of 3,336 residents. That is how many people are in Tomahawk, Wis. Many people wouldn’t be able to live here without William Henry Bradley, the founder of Tomahawk. Bradley was known for his entrepreneurial spirit and his vision for development. Because of this, he played a huge role in shaping this town and making it the town it is today.

William Bradley was born on Feb. 25, 1838, in Bangor, Maine. When he was seventeen, he went on a trip with his father’s funds to go out West to seek employment, where he went to work on a farm as a common laborer. During this time, he stayed on the farm, making only a small $1.00 a day, but he continued to work on the farm for three years until he returned home.

After a while, he went back out West to satisfy his passion. He worked on various lines in Dubuque, Iowa, and Janesville, Wis., and he would go to the Au Sable River in Michigan in the wintertime. Once he finished that, he built a mill at Manistee and had connections with Wheeler, Hopkins & Co. After a while, he found Tomahawk, the one town he cherished the most.

William focused mostly on Tomahawk, changing it to the town it became. He helped make churches, schools and shops. He also was responsible for the publication of the newspaper. But he didn’t do this for himself, he did it for the town and he wanted to make a safe place for people today.

William Henry Bradley's legacy continues to profoundly impact Tomahawk, serving as a lasting tribute to his pioneering vision and commitment to progress. His leadership and dedication played a key role in the town's establishment, and his efforts have shaped its ongoing development. Today, Bradley’s influence remains deeply embedded in the community, ensuring that his contributions will be remembered and celebrated for generations to come.