PriceCounty.fun

Incorporation of Prentice, wi

Prentice, Wisconsin, located 80 miles south of Lake Superior off of Hwy 13, has experienced its share of tragedy and forward progress related to fire in the past 124 years. Mr. William T. Price, who Price County was named after, was the President of Wisconsin Senate and a logger in Price County. Mr. Price and Wisconsin’s Governor, William E. Smith signed documents March 3rd, 1879 in Price County, which includes the town of Prentice, to make it one of Wisconsin’s 72 counties. 

Prentice became home to logging and sawmills, which, employed a majority of its citizens in the late 1800’s. The introduction of the Soo Line railroad through Prentice, in 1886, helped to increase both trade and population to nearly 1800 residents. According to the Prentice newspaper, Our Village, “Evidently some kind of depot was built for the convenience of passengers. For the price of one or two cents children were allowed a train ride between the two depots.” Eventually a saloon opened to accommodate the traveling passengers. The saloon’s popularity grew and within a short time there were nearly 23 saloons operating in Prentice.

The railroad offered Prentice with new business opportunities. A New York tannery, the United States Leather Co., found its ideal location in the growing town of Prentice. The tannery’s doors opened in the very early 1900’s providing jobs for hundreds of Prentice’s citizens. In order to ensure the success and safety of the tannery, some form of fire protection became necessary. A guard was left on duty at night to keep an eye on the establishment. If a fire began, others would be alerted immediately, and the fire could be put out much sooner, than if the building was left to burn for an extended period of time. 

This is around the same time Prentice decided to develop a volunteer fire department. On the evening of July 24, 1905, the first meeting was held to discuss the benefits of a volunteer fire department. When the meeting came to a close, the volunteer fire department became official. According to the Prentice volunteer firefighter’s meeting log, at a meeting on February 10th 1906, “a committee was appointed to draft a set of by-laws and also to ‘buy a whistle’ for the department.” Prentice was also divided into three wards to better serve the vast community.