Shoreline boathouses are artifacts of a bygone era. In the old days, before environmental concerns became accepted as important and zoning laws were passed, people often built their marine storage units close to where they were to be used, so that boats could be hauled into protective cover at the end of the day.

It’s been illegal to build any structure closer to the shoreline than 75 feet for nearly forty years now, so all the remaining boathouses precede that date.

Recently some members of the COLA History Committee, desiring to record that moment in time, went out and photographed all the boathouses on (big) Lac Courte Oreilles. There are 66 remaining boathouses, and the pictures below show them in numerical order, starting at Ghost Creek and moving counter-clockwise along the shore.

You can see a large image of any of these pictures, together with information about them, by clicking on the image.

If you recognize any of these boathouses or know anything of their history, please send your info in an email to webmaster@cola-wi.org.