Betty Koller Remembers - early cranberry life

Manitowish Waters History

As recalled by Betty Koller

3-17-15

CRANBERRY MARSH

In 1945-46 five families came to Manitowish Waters to start cranberry marshes.  Vern Goldsworthy found the land suitable for cranberries – acid soil and alkaline water supplied from Little Trout Lake.    The five families were Howard & Mary Folsom, Herbert & Florence Indermuehl, Delbert & Myrtle Bartling, John & June McFarland and Frank & Betty Koller.  The town did not welcome us.  The land was in forestry, where no one could live year-round.

We had together changed the land into agriculture.  There was no telephone or electric.  To get our weather reports, Ehlerts Market would get them, and then we would get them there.  After a few years the growers hung wires for both utilities.  We had to get to the marsh from Powell Road as there was no way to cross the Rice or Trout Rivers.   There was a road we could park in, it had once been a camp.  First one in had to be last one out.  Everything had to be brought in by wheel barrow, stoneboats, or any other means that you could carry with.  Some years later, the growers had a culvert put in so we could get to the marsh down Hwy 51.

We had to get roads into each marsh.  The growers had very little equipment that they shared with each other.  We all dug the ditches into Trout Lake and individual marshes with a hired drag line by hand.

the making of the library: original town board documents

Report of the Committee
to the Town Board of Manitowish Waters
August 27, 1985

l. Creation of the Library Committee and its original mandate:

At the regular, annual town meeting of Tuesday, April 9, 1985, the assembled voters present voted to create a Library Committee. The official minutes of said meeting record : ". . .that a committee be formed to look into a library.” The committee as presently constituted (below) has interpreted that mandate to mean that this committee should serve as a preliminary study committee, with responsibility for bringing recommendations concerning the establishment and construction of a town library to the town board, and through said board to the citizenry of Manitowish Waters.

          The minutes of the April 9, 1985 meeting also show that "Chairman Olesen appointed Rev. Hall as chairman, Helen Townsend, Betty Skrobot and Toby Hyland —the report to be given at the budget meeting in Nov.” The Library Committee has duly functioned with that membership, and feels prepared to make at least its initial report and recommendations to Town Board at this time.