The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is inviting the public to a special ceremony celebrating the dedication of an official state historical marker at the Namekagon Barrens Wildlife Area in Burnett County.
The marker will be dedicated Saturday, September 26, at 11 a.m. in the South Unit of the wildlife area, on Namekagon Trail just north of its intersection with Springbrook Trail.
The ceremony, organized by the Friends of Namekagon Barrens Wildlife Area and the Wisconsin Historical Society, will include presentations about the history and ecology of the Barrens.
The marker recognizes the area’s long history. For centuries, the land was part of seasonal travel routes used by Dakota and Ojibwe people and served as a transportation connection between the Lake Superior and Mississippi River regions. By the mid-1800s, trails were used by wagons and stagecoaches. Settlers later attempted farming the sandy terrain.
Since the 1950s, the area has been preserved as habitat for sharp-tailed grouse and other wildlife. Today, the Namekagon Barrens Wildlife Area covers about 6,450 acres in Burnett and Washburn counties and features a globally rare barrens landscape with scrub oak, jack pine, shrubs and wildflowers.
The DNR uses controlled fire as a management tool to maintain the unique barrens habitat.
The marker will be only the second official Wisconsin state historical marker in Burnett County. The Wisconsin Historical Society has more than 600 historical markers throughout the state.
Again, the dedication ceremony is Saturday, September 26 at 11 a.m. at the Namekagon Barrens Wildlife Area South Unit.
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