Just a curious question about rt 41 between Calumet and Hancock

[Willh]

Does anyone know anything about the thin swath of obviously intentionally planted trees that run on both sides of 41 in certain sections? They're definitely planted intentionally, they're only about 10-20 feet wide at any given part and they're obviously not from the area as they seem to be twice as tall as any other pines from the area.

Just curious what, if any, backstory those trees have. I noticed them the first time I came up here and think about it all the time.

Kinda wish they weren't there because they feel so unnatural and out of place, lol.

 

[finn]

When I was a kid in the 1950s, there was zero visibility on that stretch. The trees were probably planted in that timeframe.

Same thing on the Liminga road. Farm fields on both sides of the road with no trees led to zero visibility and severe drifting across the road. I remember travel to my grandparents in Liminga and Freda being dicie in the winter.

Farming has mostly disappeared now, and trees, both natural and planted, have reduced the drifting in bad weather.

 

[Gordo]

It’s true on the upper highway to Hancock was wide open my dad who was born in 1921 in Fulton remembers when there was snow fence along of the section highway before the pines were planted to act as a natural wind break in fact there were still some remaining snow fencing visible not that many years ago.

 

[snobuilder]

does anyone know anything about the thin swath of obviously intentionally planted trees that run on both sides of 41 in certain sections? They're definitely planted intentionally, they're only about 10-20 feet wide at any given part and they're obviously not from the area as they seem to be twice as tall as any other pines from the area.

Just curious what, if any, backstory those trees have. I noticed them the first time i came up here and think about it all the time.

kinda wish they weren't there because they feel so unnatural and out of place, lol.

lol

 

[Sandylake]

Back in WWII there was something called the Civilian Conservation Corps. They planted those trees on various stretches of highways mainly as a windblock but also for later harvest. My step-grandfather was on the CCC and that's why I know a little about this.

As a side note, my log cabin came from a stand of those trees that were planted by Rhinelander and hauled up to Sandy Lake where my cabin was built.