A to Z Blogfest Around the World in 30 Days -Rhinelander WI

Hodag in Rhinelander MMSikes

For the "R" in the A to Z Blogfest, the Passenger to Paradise has chosen Rhinelander, Wisconsin for her Around the World in 30 Days. Last summer, in a whirlwind tour of eastern and northern Wisconsin, she visited Rhinelander and discovered the Hodags there.

Of course, the Passenger had never even heard of a Hodag before. She learned this is a creature of folklore devised to give the town a mascot. This strange little creation, designed in a number of forms only limited by the imaginations of the artists who make them, is said to inhabit the local woods. Needless to say, the Passenger did not go hiking to seek any of them out. She did photograph a few of those that decorated the lawns of public buildings.

Another Rhinelander claim to fame is that the town had the first "comprehensive rural zoning ordinance in the United States." Adopted May 16, 1933, this became a model for land management in other Wisconsin counties and communities throughout the country.

The Passenger enjoyed her visit in Rhinelander which included a stroll through the downtown streets and a visit to the Oneida County Courthouse. Have you visited some of the pleasant rural communities in the mid-western states?