Herbster is located in Wisconsin’s Bayfield County along the south shore of Lake Superior. Billy Herbster was a logging camp cook with enough education to write letters for his camp companions. Letters were returned in care of Billy Herbster and the name stuck long enough to establish a post office. The tiny hamlet of Herbster on Hwy 13 continues a tradition of hospitality and community involvement.
Visitors will enjoy the historic legacy as well as great natural history. A town icon is the Log Gymnasium. Built in 1940 and restored in the 1990’s by Herbster Community Club, the “Gym” is both a Town Hall and Community Center. The historic sawmill that provided the logs for the gym is still in operation. Casual walking tours include the old Cheese Factory building, remaining piers of the old dock for the mail ship America, the log cabin Post Office and several restored homes of early settlers. From Lake Superior’s south shore to the northern border of the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, Herbster, and its political base – the Town of Clover, is filled with wonderful natural resources. Two Class A Trout Streams – the Bark River to the east and the famous Cranberry River – create valleys and vistas. The Bark River estuary is internationally recognized for its unique mixture of vegetation and wildlife. Small watercrafts can be launched from the landing on Bark Bay Road to begin a quiet trip to the mouth of the Bark River. Along the way visitors may be treated to sensational views of birds and other wildlife. Heron, geese, ducks, eagles, as well as many smaller species delight bird watchers. Sandhill crane nest nearby and may be seen in fields not far from the estuary. Deer are plentiful and bear wander about with sometimes regular routes.
Plan to stay in Herbster awhile. Gift shops, stores and restaurants will welcome you and provide stories and local lore. A motel and a shoreline resort provide overnight lodging, A highly popular campground on the shore of Lake Superior provides wonderful shore-side tent sites and RV sites with electrical hookups and a great view of the Lake. Watching a Lake Superior sunset while enjoying a warm campfire is a hard combination to beat.
