The
Town of Armstrong Creek is located on the far, northeastern corner
of Forest County. It is bordered by two other counties; Florence County
to the north and Marinette County to the east. The town of Armstrong
Creek was legally names and put into Forest County books November
of 1922. However, the town was in existence long before, under such
names as Caswell, LaFollette, Boneville and Engleking. In the early
1900s. Gimmer Land Co. published ads in the Chicago and Pittsburgh
area newspapers, targeting the Polish immigrants with Polish advertisement's
promising that Armstrong Creek was "A Land of Milk and Honey"!
Armstrong Creek soon became a town of
residents with deep Polish roots. In 1919, Polish residents formed
a local branch of the "Polish National Alliance," a national
group still in existence today. It is from early history that Armstrong
Creek's Annual Polish Heritage Day was formed. The first Saturday
in August has been set aside to annually celebrate "Polish Heritage
Day." The weekend starts off on Friday
night with a street dance and the crowning of "Miss Armstrong
Creek." On Saturday, the main celebration begins... an authentic
outdoor Polish mass is held at 12:30 P.M. at the St. Stanislau Kostka
Catholic Church, followed by a parade, starting at 1:30 P.M. Onlookers
will enjoy experiencing the Polish culture and seeing the elaborately
decorated costumes.The parade leads spectators
into the town park, where they will enjoy a full day of Polish foods,
ethnic displays. Crafts, Polka music, dancing and other entertainment!
The highligh
t
of the day is a music and dance demonstration, performed by the Polish
Highlanders of America, a group which comes to us from Chicago, Illinois.
Polish Heritage Day was founded in 1991, and is sponsored by Citizen's
for Armstrong Creek, Inc.
When
visiting Armstrong Creek, one might venture south on old Highway 101
to see the "Red Bridge." This piece of Armstrong Creek's
history was built in the 1800s. Made of steel, the bridge is said
to be part of the Military Railroad that traveled through Forest County,
linking Fort Howard in Green Bay to Fort Wilken's in Upper Michigan's
Keweenaw Point. In 1992, Forest County's WCC crew refurbished the
bridge, attaching to it, picnic tables, so that visitors can enjoy
a picnic while watching the beautiful Armstrong Creek rumble under
them.