Editing Minocqua, Wisconsin (section)

==History==
Minocqua was officially organized in the year 1889. Although there are varying explanations regarding the meaning of the word "Minocqua", most credit its origin to the Island's first inhabitants, the [[Ojibwe]].<ref>[https://www.townofminocqua.org/town/minocqua-history/ Minocqua History]. Town of Minocqua.</ref> The town Minocqua is named after, "Ninocqua", the Ojibwe name that is defined as "noon-day-rest".<ref name="minocqua.org"/>

In the late 1800s, Minocqua was a logging town. Minocqua Clawson was the first child born in the town. Clawson Hill was a famous landmark in town, and it is now the current location of the Pointe Resort & Hotel at the south end of the Highway 51 bridge.

The construction of railroads was a critical component of Minocqua's early growth. The [[Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad|Milwaukee Road]] originally came to the area to provide access to timber. Later, railroads catered to sportsmen and tourists, transforming Minocqua into the vacation getaway it remains to this day. The two railroad trestles that brought trains to the Island are still intact and serve as the trailhead for the Bearskin State Trail that provides hiking and biking in summer, and snowmobiling in winter.

Much of the town's business district was destroyed by a major fire in 1912. Many of the buildings on the main street today were designed and built after the fire. Although the last several decades have brought a higher percentage of visitor-oriented retail stores, the downtown still retains a U.S. post office, banks, restaurants, and a barbershop. The Island, Minocqua's city center, contains the Campanile Center for the Arts, the Minocqua Police Department, Minocqua Fire Department, and the Minocqua Community Center, which houses the town offices and public library.

Landmarks on the Island include Torpy Park, the Belle-Isle building and the Minocqua Community Center. Town offices and the Minocqua Public Library are located in the Minocqua Community Center. Bosacki's Boat House burned to the ground in 1972. Although state regulations prohibited the structure being rebuilt over water, a public outcry convinced the [[Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources|DNR]] to allow it to be rebuilt where it had originally stood.