Lac du Flambeau's History

Lac du Flambeau is located in the southwest corner of Vilas County an a small part of the southeast corner of Iron County. Lac du Flambeau has an approximate year round population of 3,004. Lac du Flambeau's major industry is tourism and the population nearly quadruples in the summer months. Lac du Flambeau means place where they spear fish by torchlight, which comes from the French who came to the area and saw the Ojibwe fishing with torches.

The band has inhabited the Lac du Flambeau area since 1745 when Chief Keeshkemun led the band to the area. The Lac du Flambeau Reservation was officially established by treaties in 1837 and 1842. The area was continually logged in the following years and became a tourist destination for families from southern Wisconsin and Illinois around the turn of the century.

Our area affords vacationers and residents the enjoyment of a full range of water sport activities including world-class fishing, boating, swimming, and water-skiing. You can't beat the vivid colors of fall in the Lac du Flambeau area. In the winter, our premier snowmobile trails are second to none.

The Reservation is 86,630 acres or 144 square miles. The Tribe owns 45.4%, Tribal Allotted land is 21.4% and Alienated land is 33.1%. The Lac du Flambeau reservation has 260 lakes, 65 miles of streams, lakes, and rivers, 24,000 acres of wetlands and 41,733 acres of forested upland.. The lakes and other waterways are regularly restocked by the tribal fish hatchery with over 200,000 fish per year. Over the last 30 years, the tribal fish hatchery has restocked the lakes with well over 415 million walleye fry.

Lac du Flambeau has two forms of local government. A Town chairman and three Town Supervisors run the town government. The Town of Lac du Flambeau Government office is located at 109 Old Abe Road.

The Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa is a sovereign nation. Sovereignty means having the right to make decisions and act accordingly, to exercise self-determination. In the case of the Indian Nations, sovereignty involves the dual aspects of identity as nations and jurisdictional authority over tribal lands.