History
 The
city of Hayward and the surrounding area, as we know it today,
developed from the thirst of 10th century man to civilize the
entire continental United States. The development in northern
Wisconsin started about the same time that the Conestoga wagons
went west from Missouri. In fact, the settling in this area began
in the 1870's, when the large areas of trees were seen as prime
sources of lumber from the growing cities at the southern edge
of the Lake Michigan and the Mississippi River.
Hayward's founder, Anthony Judson Hayward, visited the present
site of our city in the 1870's and saw that this area would be
a prime location for a lumber mill. He knew that there was a very
large and seemingly inexhaustible supply of pine lumber. Also,
the location on the Namekagon River would be an ideal location
for a wood pond for timber storage. The pond could easily be created
at this location because of the natural construction on the Namekagon
River also the high riverbanks, which existed in the same spot.
Another benefit of this location was the fact that the railroad
was going to construct a line up the river valley to Ashland,
thus creating a way to transport the sawn lumber from the mill
to the market.
 The
railroad was constructed during the summer of 1881 and by the
summer of 1882, power dams were constructed on the Namekagon River
and on several nearby streams. The dams powered a small lumber
mill, which provided lumber to build the proposed large mill,
the stores, the boarding houses and several private residences.
With about two hundred men employed in all new construction, it
only took one year to construct the large mill. By June of 1883,
the mill at the new village of Hayward was ready to saw the wood
in the Namekagon River piney.
Several other important developments occurred in 1883, which would
affect Hayward. The first was the formation of Sawyer County,
of which Hayward eventually became the county seat. The second
was the construction of roads to other cities in order to obtain
the trade of loggers who were cutting in other areas, thus creating
other jobs aside from logging.
The school bell rang in Hayward in September of 1883, much to
the chagrin of the children in the area. The first public school
met in a multi-purpose building near the lumber mill. The first
schoolhouse was constructed in 1884, but this building was to
have a hot history. In 1885, and again in 1923 this building burned
down. Hayward was fortunate to have constructed another school
building to house the growing enrollment but this building also
caught on fire and burned down on May 11, 1922.
May 11, 1922 was a very important date for Hayward and its economy,
because on that day, the old mill burned down. By that time, most
of the pine lumber had been cut down and shipped away, only remnant
pine was left. Large logging camps were practically non-existent
by this time. Northern Wisconsin was being advertised in the larger
cities in southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois as a vacation
area. Resorts were either already established or being built.
Shops were catering to the visiting public.
So by May 11, 1922, Hayward was ready for a change. A change from
an economy based on logging, to an economy based on tourism.
Today, our woods continue to rejuvenate our visitors, our lakes
continue to relax out visitors and our people continue to serve
our visitors. Far from the rush and stress of the 21st Century,
from the pursuit of cell phones and from the strangulation of
the soul, we invite you to…COME BACK TO WHAT MATTERS! REDISCOVER
YOUR SOUL!
 Come
back to the extraordinary and increasingly rare combination of
relaxation and fun. EXPLORE the many aspects of our heritage that
are her for you today, anytime you visit, and also here when the
world visits for our major events, the WORLD LUMBERJACK CHAMPIONSHIPS
and the AMERICAN BIRKEBEINER ski race.
Visit our re-enactment of the lumbering era and skills, visit
our history of the gangster era, visit our enshrinement of the
fishing history, and visit all the friendly people who are here
today. Wisconsin is truly a place to be "among friends." Hayward
and our Lakes are truly a place to discover your dreams, and rediscover
your dreams. Hayward and our Lakes truly envelope you and remind
you of what matters most to you. Let Hayward send you home with
these memories!
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