Introduction

This was the time when the vast forests of Northern Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota were stripped bare. When the trees were gone, the camps were left to rot as the crews moved to new areas.

The Holt and Balcom camp was one of the last to succumb and operated until the late 1920's. to our best belief, after much research, the Holt and Balcom camp is the oldest logging camp in the United States on its original site. It may also be the oldest in the world, but we are not able to confirm this.

The McCaslin Lions Club obtained ownership of the camp from the Oconto County Historical Society in order to restore the building to its original condition and perpetuate the museum for the public to see how the lumberjacks lived and worked. After years of volunteer labor by the Lions Club and donations of materials and artifacts from many generous donors, the camp was opened to the public in 1982 on a part-time basis.