FOLDER 5: Books

 

 

Book #1 - "Taylor County" will feature 240 quality photographs and images of Taylor County including Rib Lake.  It will be published by Arcadia Publishing, the leading local history publisher in the United States.

>>Available Now!  

 

For more info, go to:

 
Taylor County
 

TAYLOR COUNTY

 

Author(s):

 Robert P. Rusch
 

ISBN:

 9781467112444

# of Pages:

  128

Publisher:

  Arcadia Publishing

On Sale Date:

  08/04/2014

Binding:

  Softcover

# of Images:

  200 Black and White
 

Book Description:

 
When Wisconsin became a state in 1848, its densely forested north awaited railroad construction before settlement. Taylor County, the “Garden Spot of Northern Wisconsin,” was founded on March 4, 1875. Named for then-governor William R. Taylor, the area was primarily forested with eastern hemlock. The county’s portion of the Wisconsin Central Railroad was built in 1873, and station sites were named for suburbs of Boston, including Medford, Charlestown, Chelsea, and Westboro. The county’s early years were dominated by lumbering and leather tanning, the latter made possible by tannic acid leached from hemlock bark. By 1900, dairy farms dotted its glacial hills. Today, Taylor County’s municipalities are home to diverse industries, ranging from snowshoe manufacturing to America’s largest pizza plant.

Author Bio: Author Robert P. Rusch is a retired trial attorney, tree farmer, and ultrarunner who still runs a monthly marathon at age 71; on December 28, 2013, he finished number 216 on a snow-covered trail. The Taylor County Historical Society generously made this book possible by allowing publication of images from its treasure trove of sterling photographs. 
 

Book # 2 - The Rib Lake Historical Society’s major goals include a publication of an expanded, up-to-date history of the greater Rib Lake area.  It will cover the Village of Rib Lake, the Towns of Rib Lake, Greenwood and eastern Westboro in Taylor County, and portions of the Towns of Spirit (Formerly Brennan) and Hill in Price County.  Present plans call for a book in two volumes with a target date for publication of 2015.  Robert P. Rusch will author the volumes, which have been tentatively titled “A Diamond in the Rough: A History of Rib Lake by One Who Loves Her”. 

   This book will be profusely illustrated with photos, maps, and documents; everyone having loaned such materials will be named.  Chapters will include the Kennedy family, featuring JJ Kennedy, the founder of Rib Lake, The Rib Lake lumber company, as well as numerous other logging concerns, the huge Rib Lake Tannery, railroads including the Soo Line connecting Rib Lake and Tomahawk, and explanation of area, place, names, and a lot-by-lot illustrated history of former businesses along Rib Lake's "Main Street", McComb Avenue.  The goal is to produce a well-researched, clearly written, professional work.  


 

 

Photo of Attorney Robert P. Rusch at the Rusch & Rusch Law Office, S.C., Medford, Wisconsin, June 18, 2009.