Manitowish Waters, Wisconsin

Manitowish Waters, Wisconsin
Town
Town hall and community center Town hall and community center
Location of Manitowish Waters, Wisconsin Location of Manitowish Waters, Wisconsin
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	Wisconsin
County	Vilas
Government
• Chairman	John Hanson
• Town Clerk	Dana Hilbert
Area
• Total	36.4 sq mi (94.4 km2)
• Land	30.4 sq mi (78.6 km2)
• Water	6.1 sq mi (15.7 km2)
Elevation	1,611 ft (491 m)
Population (2000)
• Total	566
• Density	18.6/sq mi (7.2/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Area code(s)	715 & 534
FIPS code	55-48462
GNIS feature ID	1583635
Website	http://mwtown.org/

Manitowish Waters is a town in Vilas County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 566 in the 2010 census. The unincorporated community Manitowish Waters, is also located within the town.

History

At the still active Little Bohemia Lodge on Little Star Lake in Manitowish Waters, then owned by Emil Wanatka, the Dillinger Gang and FBI were involved in a shoot-out, which resulted in the accidental shooting death of a local resident and two Civilian Conservation Corps workers at the hands of the FBI, who mistook them for an escaping John Dillinger and members of his gang. Agent W Carter Baum was also killed by Baby Face Nelson in the short gunfight. John Dillinger escaped from the battle unharmed. Scars of the shoot-out are still visible at the lodge. The site has been preserved. John Dillinger personal items (left behind after his hasty departure) are on display.

In the summer of 2008, the Little Bohemia Lodge was used in the filming of a recreation of these events in the 2009 Michael Mann film Public Enemies, a movie about Dillinger and the FBI starring Johnny Depp as John Dillinger and Christian Bale as Melvin Purvis.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 36.4 square miles (94.4 km²), of which, 30.4 square miles (78.6 km²) of it is land and 6.1 square miles (15.7 km²) of it (16.69%) is water.

Airport

Manitowish Waters is served by the Manitowish Waters Airport (D25). Located one mile south of the city, the airport handles approximately 6,200 operations per year, with roughly 96% general aviation and 4% air taxi. The airport has a 3,498 foot asphalt runway with approved GPS approaches (Runway 14-32).

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 646 people, 301 households, and 208 families residing in the town. The population density was 21.3 people per square mile (8.2/km²). There were 1,103 housing units at an average density of 36.3 per square mile (14.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 99.07% White, 0.46% from other races, and 0.46% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.01% of the population.

There were 301 households out of which 19.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.5% were married couples living together, 2.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.6% were non-families. 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.56.

In the town the population was spread out with 16.1% under the age of 18, 2.8% from 18 to 24, 21.5% from 25 to 44, 30.2% from 45 to 64, and 29.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 51 years. For every 100 females there were 113.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $37,500, and the median income for a family was $49,375. Males had a median income of $36,518 versus $20,114 for females. The per capita income for the town was $21,042. About 5.9% of families and 10.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.1% of those under age 18 and 13.6% of those age 65 or over.

Tourism

The town is best known for its chain of lakes. During the summer, the population increases dramatically as tourists come from all around the Midwest.

It is also known as an artists' enclave, with many artist studios and gift shops located in the town square and surrounding areas. Another tourist attraction is the water ski team, the Skiing Skeeters, who perform free shows two nights a week throughout the summer.

Gallery

• Old-town-at-manitowish.jpg

  Wood-and-canvas canoe being lifted over a beaver dam near Manitowish Waters

• Manitowish Waters, WI.JPG

  Town center, Manitowish Waters

• Manitowish Waters gift shop.JPG

  A typical gift shop in the area

• Skiing Skeeters.JPG

  Members of the local ski team, the Skiing Skeeters, form a human pyramid

• Manitowish Waters Airport.jpg

  Manitowish Waters Airport

• 

  Looking north at the  community of Manitowish Waters on County Road W

External links

• Manitowish Waters Chamber of Commerce
• Manitowish Waters Lakes Association
• Manitowish Waters Public Library (Frank B. Koller Memorial Library)