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        Blockhouse Lake is a 242 acre shallow lake located in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest about six miles east of Park Falls, Wisconsin.  According to legend, the first permanent structure built on the lake was made in the shape of a large square block, hence the name.  Others have suggested that it was named because ice blocks were cut from the lake during the winter and shipped to icehouses in Milwaukee, Chicago, and other cities to the south.  Whatever the origin, the name first appears on Wisconsin maps around 1900.   

         During the logging era of the 1870s and 1880s, Blockhouse was used to help flush logs down the Flambeau River, which lies just a quarter-mile to the south.   The connecting creek would be dammed, then blown in the spring to move logs downstream to the Chippewa River and ultimately to the sawmills in Eau Claire.  After the main logging era ended, rail lines were run out to the lake and beyond, and it was used as a source of water for the steam engines and for recreation. 

       The average depth of Blockhouse Lake is 5 feet, with a maximum depth of about 10 feet.  It has 3 1/2 miles of shoreline, of which 85 per cent  is privately owned.  The National Forest Service maintains a public boat landing on the northeast end of the lake.  Major fish species present include northern pike, largemouth bass, black crappie, bluegill  and pumpkinseed.  The Blockhouse Lake Association in cooperation with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources operates an aerator during the winter months to maintain oxygen levels and prevent excessive fish kills.

        Those of us who live, work and play here invite you to learn more about the lake and the Blockhouse Lake Association.   Please click on one of the sections below.

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