Solon Springs History

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Dunlop Pioneer Store
Building also served as the post office in1912

Chief Black Hawk July 4th, pow wow 1916

Cosgrove Hotel and Silver Rail Bar

Joe Lucius was a prominent figure to the area. He had many business ventures and was deeply involved in forestry. He designed the fire towers in this area. Built many of the lodges that still line sections of the Brule River and has a lake in his name along the Brule. He is well known for his boat building. Shown above at his residents near park creek pond where he built many of his canoes.

Historic Village Hall Building served as village and town offices until 2002. Now home to the Joan Salmen Memorial Library

Photos, unless otherwise noted, courtesy of the Solon Springs Historical Museum. There is so much more history than what is mentioned here. The Log house that is the museum was home to the John Beck Family then donated and hauled to it's present site. the Museum is open weekends throughout the Summer.

Upper Lake St. Croix is the center of the water highway, which first brought the European explorers, missionaries and fur traders to the interrior of the American continent. Over three Hundred years ago explorers and traders came from Montreal in birch bark canoes by way of the Great Lakes. then up the Brule River to what is currently known as the North Country Hiking Trail. This was the portage from the brule to Lake St. Croix. The first known to have used this trail was a French fur trader named Daniel Greysolon Dulhut in the year 1680. There is a Historical marker along the hiking trail today in his name. the route continued down the St.Croix river to the Mississippi. The first written record of a permanent settlement in the area is of a Chippewa village on Crownhart Island on Lake St. Croix in 1832. traders often stopped at the native American village before continuing down the river. Painting: Clarence Rosenkranz - Saint Louis County Historical Society

With the traders came the missionaries, for the French were as eager to convert the natives as to extend the empire, and no party was complete without it's accompanying priest. Father Allouez in 1665 established the first mission on Wisconsin soil at Chequamagon Bay.

Almost 100 years after the first French trader, when this country had come under the English flag, an English explorer and writer, Henry Schoolcraft came this way. He was the natives agent for this whole territory from 1822 to 1841. A scientist and scholar, he made a dictionary of the Chippewa language and wrote down the legends which Longfellow later used in "Hiawatha".

In 1852, four years after Wisconsin became a state, George Stuntz, who was employed to survey the Wisconsin - Minnesota boundary line, came to the head of the lakes. he was fascinated by this country. He declared "This will be the heart of the continent". and when he had made his report, he came back and built a shack, the first one in this area, on Minnesota point. Within two years, there were seven more shacks, but no way to get south for supplies. With axes and crowbars and 14 men, Stuntz cleared a road for 57 miles, from St. Louis Bay to the St. Croix River. On his first trip south he brought back three yoke of oxen and two cows -- the forerunners of our dairy herds! it was he who later helped to plat the village of Solon Springs then known as White Birch.

Charles Lord was the first white man to settle in White Birch, many of his descendants still reside here.
In 1855 he staked out an 80-Acre claim in White Birch. On the site of the former Silver rail and present Depot apartments he constructed a large boarding house, A Saloon and real estate office. He was a fur trader and traveled the North land extensively. Picture background shows Lord's Saloon, Annex, and Hotel.

The construction of the Chicago, St Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railroad from Trego (Then called Superior Junction) to Superior in 1883 greatly increased the flow of settlers into and around the White Birch area. The town of White Birch prospered as a Sportsman’s Paradise. Tourists began to visit and enjoy White Birch from Chicago, Milwaukee and the Twin Cities with several passenger trains giving good service. The original White Birch Depot was of the standard type of all small stations and an exact duplicate of the one at Gordon, Minong, and hundreds of others. As the town grew the railroad constructed a new larger station, which has now been moved to the west side of business highway 53, and as of this writing is being used as an apartment house and coffee/gift shops.

above: Construction of the Solon Springs Depot began 1912.
Depot after Completion

The Depot as it appeared on the east side of the tracks in 1916.

The first U.S. post office was opened in the village of White Birch in 1885. Leo Lord, son of Charles Sr. was the first postmaster in White Birch. Leo was also the county surveyor and his name is found on many old plats and surveys in the register of deeds office of the courthouse. Leo and his wife Margaret Lucius had 13 children.

In 1886 White Birch became the headquarters for the logging companies in this vicinity. One of the first to locate here was the Musser Sauntry Co. of Stillwater. They built a logging camp at what is now the Main Street area of Solon Springs. Camps were usually opened from September until March. Lake St. Croix was used as a giant holding pond with logs reaching from shore to shore. Logs were driven down river by "drivers" or "riverhogs", to Stillwater, or beyond. When the Dobie Brothers Lumber Co. came, in about 1894, they built a railroad from Solon Springs to Lake Minnesung. Their landing was at the head of the lake. The railroad grade ran along what is now County Rd. A.

In 1891 Nick Lucius and three other parties purchased approximately 40 acres of land on the shores of Lake St. Croix. Eventually Lucius bought out the other parties. Lucius operated the land as a park for day use and camping. The land was sold to the State of Wisconsin then deeded to Douglas County. The park was then officially named Lucius Woods County Park in recognition of Mr. Lucius for his efforts in conserving the virgin growth woods, which has resulted in the beautiful park setting of today. For nearly 100 years people have set up camp under one of the most unique stands of virgin White and Norway Pine in Wisconsin.

Near the end of the 1800’s a South Superior native proposed to White Birch a water bottling factory. He invented a liquid vending machine and patented it November 4, 1902. Tom F. Solon was that inventor and began the Solon Springs Bottling Company, which was located in a two-story frame building just north of the mouth of Leo Creek. White Birch residents got behind the new bottling company, which was expected to bring fame and prosperity to the village. The Omaha Railroad even built a spur to handle the expected business. Accordingly In 1896 White Birch was renamed Solon Springs in honor of Thomas Solon and his contributions to the community.

The old Silver Rail sports bar Located at the site of the current Depot. Photo taken during 4th of July parade in the 60's. Line