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As all roads lead to Rome, anyone headed to the Northwoods of Wisconsin will be passing through Spooner. In matter of fact, they'll be right in the middle of it all. With over 900 lakes in the area, who could resist dropping a line or taking a swim in the beautiful waters of Spooner Lake, Red Cedar Lake, or the Minong Flowage. Spooner's central location to the waters and its easy access to the many of the trails and parks in the area make it an ideal place to take a vacation or build a weekend getaway cabin.

Spooner was named after Wisconsin Senator John Coit Spooner who served his state with distinction during two separate terms, one from 1885-1891 and again from 1897-1907. A former army major during the Civil War, Spooner is best remembered for his opposition to direct primary elections. At the time party nominees were selected by the party officials, sometimes by "party bosses." Although the system left much to be desired, Spooner was prescient in his description of political campaigns after the reform of direct primary elections:

"Direct primaries would destroy the party machinery ... and would build up a lot of personal machines, and would make every man a self-seeker, and would degrade politics by turning candidacies into bitter personal wrangles."

Spooner's slogan, "Crossroads to the North" isn't just a clever marketing ploy. With two major US highways, the 53 and the 63, and State Highway 70 converging there, one could easily go anywhere in the Northwood-a good thing considering that there is a lot see and do in and around the area.

Spooner's economy was once centered on the railroad and the two main lines that converged there. After passenger service ended in the early 1960's and freight service was discontinued 30 years later, railroading in Spooner became a tourist attraction, first with a highly regarded railroad history museum in the railroad's old depot and then with a popular excursion train.

The Railroad Memories Museum is housed in the former Chicago and North Western Railway depot on Front St. in downtown Spooner. Railroad aficionados will enjoy all the artifacts and memorabilia from every facet of railroad history. Volunteers and retired railroaders staff the museum, bringing the history of the rails to life for all those who visit.

The Great Northern Railroad excursion train runs between Spooner and Springbrook and allows passengers to experience the rails as they were in their heyday, featuring restored vintage Pullman cars being pulled by historic diesel locomotives. Passengers may book the train for private events, or they can enjoy one of the regular daily lunch or dinner excursions.

If you like to fish, Spooner is an ideal place to drop a line. Spooner Lake is located approximately 2 miles east of Spooner, Wisconsin. This 1,092 acre lake is well known for its fantastic fishing. Pan fish, pike, and large mouth bass are the most abundant catches on this lake. Those who just want to relax by the waters edge may choose from many of the gorgeous sandy beaches that dot the 11 miles of Spooner's shoreline.

Spooner is also home to the largest freshwater fish hatchery in the world. The Gov. Tommy G. Thompson State Fish Hatchery is operated by the Wisconsin DNR and produces nearly 2 million walleye, 100,000 muskie, and a number of northern pike annually!

Spooner is "country to the core" celebrating its roots with its annual Heart of the North Rodeo. Since 1954, top ranked rodeo competitors have come to Spooner to compete in pro rodeo's most exciting events: bareback and saddle bronc riding, tie-down roping, steer wrestling, barrel racing, bull riding, and team roping. The 9^th St. Bluegrass Gospel festival is held twice each summer and features well-known gospel bands from across the country.  Jack Pine Savage Days features live bands, an annual fun run, 3 on 3 basketball tourney, horseshoe tourney, as well as a volleyball tourney.