We stayed at Ashland City Park (Kreher Park) in Ashland, Wisconsin, which is on the shore of Lake Superior. The campground is spacious and open with good views of the lake – and a bicycle trail goes past it. It was a great location for us!
The eight-block Main Street business district, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is the background for an interesting walk through Ashland’s history as seen through the eyes of mural artists Kelly Meredith and Susan Prentice Martinsen.
Thirteen murals depict people and events from Ashland’s past.
In the late 1800s, Ashland, Wi was one of Wisconsin's largest cities and a major Lake Superior port. Now the mural is all that’s left of the ore dock.
The end of the logging era and other economic changes took its toll, and in the latter part of the 20th century, Ashland was a depressed area. Tourism is helping Ashland rebound.
The people depicted in the murals are real people who lived in Ashland. Many are painted from photographs.
During our “mural tour” of Ashland, we were fortunate to come across one of the artists busy at work on a new mural near the railroad station. Irene enjoyed talking with her about the murals.
While not on the National Register, this 1926 Ford Model T Coupe that was parked in front of the Ashland Historical Museum, was another reminder of the past that we saw in this interesting town.
Ashland is bike friendly – we toured the murals by bike – and it also has trails that run beside the lake.
Leaving the lake, trail goes beneath the highway to reach the downtown area.
We enjoyed exploring Ashland and enjoyed our campground at the lake’s shore. And we enjoyed seeing the peaceful sunset over Lake Superior.
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