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Steam Train Reenactment in Laona honors Wisconsin logging history Submitted: 10/05/2013
Laona - You'll see plenty of trains in Northwoods Museums, but things feel different in Laona. The Lumberjack steam train cowboy robbery reenactment is all about bringing cowboys to the Northwoods. The event happens twice a year. It's sponsored by a local nonprofit, Camp 5. "I got a telephone call about eight years ago from a man that said he'd like to come up and rob my train," Camp 5 President Cate Dellin said. "I said, you want to rob the train?" So that's what happened. Cowboys rob an old steam train on horseback. The family friendly event also helps keep Wisconsin's logging history alive. Camp 5 wants to make sure people are not just having fun, but they're learning. "It's a wonderful opportunity to educate people about natural resources and the wise use of natural resources," Dellin said. That's the goal at Camp 5. They think younger Wisconsinites don't know enough about their state's past. Dellin hopes places like the Camp 5 logging museum can change that. "I just hope that we can continue to educate people and have them understand that a lot of people's grandparents were in the north like this, and whose great-grandparents worked in the woods," Dellin said. "It's kind of a cultural thing for Wisconsin." A culture founded on the railroad and sustained by logging. Things might be different today. But that doesn't stop Camp 5 from going back.

Written By: Kalia Baker

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