Oneida County · Wisconsin

Rhinelander

Home of the Hodag.

A lumber town on the rapids of the Wisconsin River that adopted a legendary monster and never let go.

01Good to know

Fact 01

It started as Pelican Rapids

The settlement on the river rapids was first called Pelican Rapids. When the railroad arrived in 1882, the town took the name of F.W. Rhinelander, president of the Milwaukee, Lake Shore and Western Railway.

Fact 02

Built on pine

Its spot on the rapids made it a natural mill town, surrounded by some of the richest pine country in the Northwoods.

Fact 03

Hodag country

The Hodag is the official symbol of the city and the mascot of Rhinelander High School.

02The Hodag story

The monster behind the name.

1893
Timber cruiser and famous prankster Eugene Shepard reports a fearsome horned creature in the woods near Rhinelander: the Hodag.
Later
Shepard shows off a “captured” Hodag. It was a carved figure, part of the act, and the story spread far beyond town.
Busted
When scientists announced they would come inspect the creature, Shepard admitted it was a hoax. Rhinelander kept the Hodag anyway.