Plum Lake (Wisconsin)

Plum Lake is a 1,057-acre glacial drainage lake located in Vilas County, Wisconsin, within the Town of Plum Lake which also includes the towns of Sayner and Star Lake.^[1] With an average depth of roughly 20 ft, the lake has a maximum depth of 57 ft and is made of a sandy-gravel rock bottom. Surrounded by old growth hardwood pines, the lake is part of the Manitowish River watershed and supports a diverse fishery and is managed by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.^[2]

The lake was ford during the Last Ice Age and has historically been used by the Anishinaabe (Ojibwe/Chippewa) peoples and other native groups who relied on the lake and its surrounding area for hunting, fishing, and rice harvesting for thousands of years prior to European settlement.^[3] The lake formed part of their canoe network linking the Wisconsin River to Lake Superior.^[3] Their frequent travel routes would influence European settlement patterns, and the lake would see increasing European settlement beginning in the mid-19th century.^[4] By 1911, the area to the southeast of the lake would have a small logging and tourism community focused on the natural White Pines. As the logging boom slowed, nearby Sayner began to focus on tourism, building a number of resorts attracting visitors from Chicago and Milwaukee.^[5] During this period, the lake shifted from a transportation route to a leisure destination focused on boating and angling.^[6] The is a golf course located to the south of the lake.^[7]

The lake and its surrounding area provide habitat for a number of species, including:^{[8][9][10][2]}

• Muskellunge
• Walleye
• Northern pike
• Smallmouth bass
• Bluegill
• Largemouth bass
• Rock bass
• Creek chub
• Golden shiner
• Burbot
• Ducks
• Loons
• Great Blue Heron
• Osprey
• Deer
• Black bear
• Red fox
• Beaver
• Muskrat
• Snapping turtle
• Toads
• Green frog