Prescott Area Historical Society

06/01/2026

Historians of yore! Here is a Prescott Journal article and photo of some of those who worked so hard for so long to preserve Prescott's fascinating history. Sally West, Jon Setala, Roger and Gladys Most in action and smiles on their faces.

05/29/2026

"Charles Henry Stapf and the Prescott Spinner Company" is ready for sale. We have them at the history center. Open Saturdays and Sundays from 11 to 3pm

Due to popular demand we were asked to make them more widely available. Linda Peterson at Riverbank Antiques and Bookstore is helping us out. Riverbank is open most days and many more hours. The price is the same, $50. Thanks Linda.

This is a link to original film from the 1930s from Chuck Sundby's amazing collection. https://youtu.be/lctMunU3lTo?si=25-SXE-U-8uuX3MC

This link goes to Seining Wars, a chapter in the book. It nearly won the Wisconsin National History competition. Done by Prescott High School students David Yanisch, Nick Schaeffer, and Bryson Van Holbeck, https://youtu.be/qFR87XYIS5E?si=0dmaUv0UlC6x9Xlm

A National History Day project. Done by Prescott, Wisconsin High S...

05/21/2026

A labor of love completed? Local historian and river rat Chuck Sundby has worked on a book detailing the operations, stories, and history of the Prescott Spinner Company and the community of Prescott for several decades. Some is original source history not found in any other source. During its time on Prescott's main street the ladies who worked for Charlie Stapf made 250,000 lures by hand per year. How to fish, where to fish, when to fish, how to cook fish, and more is all in this wonderful book. Chuck interviewed many of the people who worked there for their stories starting in the 1960s. A limited first printing in now available at the Prescott Area Historical Society for $50.

05/19/2026

2026 Prescott Area Historical Society
Speaker Series at the Prescott History Center

Steamboats, Towboats, and River History
235 N Broad Street

Friday May 8th - Captain Lee Hendrix 7PM
The sinking of the Sultana, the greatest Maritime Disaster
in American History.

Friday June 19th - Goran Pesic 7PM
The Greatest Mysteries of Lake Pepin

Friday July 10th - Robert Taunt 7PM
"The War Eagle and the Galena, Sisters of Steam."

Friday August - 7th - Dr. John Anfinson 7PM
St. Anthony Falls – one tick of the geologic clock from ending a 12,000-year journey.

*Saturday* September 12th - Captain Tom Struve 1PM
Immigration by Steamboat 250 Years of Moving People, Goods, and Technology

Friday October 2 - Dallas Eggers 7PM
Logging on Midwestern Rivers -
14 billion board feet of wood passed Prescott in 75 years. Rivers of Pine.

Friday October 16th - Nancy Earhart Burt 7PM
"An Evening with Amelia Earhart and Her Cousin"

05/17/2026

The current renovation project of our history buildings is nearly complete. Windows repaired, glazed, and painted, ironwork redone, walls water blasted, tuck pointed, sealed, primed, and painted. Doors repainted. And our new signs are nearly finished. We would like to thank the City of Prescott, Prescott Foundation, Lions Club, Chamber Tourism Committee, and private donors for their help with preserving our buildings. Bruce Reichert Painting did the paint work and Tanner Leonard and his crew did the sign installs. We know you will all miss the sign that was torn in half when coming across our bridge ;-)

05/17/2026

The third Monday, May 18th at 1pm, brings our next Prescott History Sharing day. Stop by with stories, photos, or artifacts. These events have been fun and we hope to continue them in our efforts to find and preserve Prescott's history. Or just drop in to browse. The first photo shows men loading ice on rail cars for shipment. The St. Croix Ice Business was an important part of our local economy. The second photo is of Ptacek's IGA when it was downtown and only a down and back grocery, now Riverbank Antiques and Books.

05/15/2026

Visitors from afar? In 1983 French Oceanographer Jacques Cousteau brought his famous vessel the Calypso to Prescott. Captain Eugene "Popeye" Tronnier was at the helm. Pops rode with them for weeks on their journey up the Mississippi. He was also a Master Pilot, a classification few achieve, and piloted the Delta and American Queen. The photos come from the Tronnier Collection.

05/13/2026

We often don't take the time to look at where we live. A beautiful spot where Mother Nature puts on a different show every day. Diane and Jim Shiely take the time to look and see. Here are a few photos Jim sends us of the St. Croix. Thanks Jim

05/10/2026

The last boat out of St. Paul, November 1976. A Cargill boat pushing 6 loaded barges. Notice it is breaking ice. The Prescott River front has gone through many transformations since. Some tanks stored gasoline, diesel, and home heating fuel, delivered by barge. A few of us remember Wolf Oil and Marc Tobias's tankers filling up to make deliveries. Others held liquid fertilizer for Jacques Seed and other agricultural companies. Charlie and Jeff Most delivered for years, if my memory serves me. If you look close you can see the pilot house and exhausts of the small towboat Cheyenne which many Prescott men worked on during the Sioux era of moving coal up the St. Croix to Bayport's Allen S King electrical generating plant. The Cheyenne worked behind the lower end of Prescott Island cleaning and moving barges. Across for Freedom Park you can still see some of the mooring posts used. The photo is from Mary Beeler.

05/10/2026

River workers have been part of Prescott's history for over 175 years. Deckhands, Pilots, Captains, Engineers, Cooks, Shipyard workers, and Mechanics. Twin City Barge was a place of employment for decades of Prescott residents. The two photos today show the location of their shipyard and new barges ready to be sent downriver to their owners. The location is just north of the 494 bridge.