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.
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"! 
