When I started researching Eagle River, I didn’t know much. It’s kind of pathetic because it is my second home and I am in Eagle River so often, however I have learned so much information that I never knew about Eagle River. I‘ve learned that Eagle River is the World’s Snowmobiling Capital of the World, Hockey Capital of Wisconsin (also the location of Wisconsin’s Hockey Hall of Fame), and is a part of the World’s Largest Chain of Lakes. I have no idea how I didn’t know any of that information about Eagle River. Obviously there are a lot of other things that make Eagle River a well-known, Northwood’s city, however I have found a lot of information on these trademarks. So my question is: “What is Eagle River Known for?” I can answer that with: Eagle River is known for being the World’s Snowmobiling Capital of the World, Hockey Capital of Wisconsin, and is a part of the World’s Largest Chain of Lakes. Eagle River is also very well known for its fishing. With hundreds of lakes in Eagle River and around it, it makes for really good fishing and even tourism. Also there are big fishing tournaments held in Eagle River every fall and spring season. So now I know a lot more about Eagle River than I did before. I wouldn’t say that my answer is 100% complete, and I may never get there because different people may know Eagle River for many different reasons. However, I feel that I have a good grasp of what Eagle River is known for with all of the information that I have found by researching.

http://www.lakelubbers.com/eagle-river-chain-of-lakes-869/

My source talks about how Eagle River is part of the World’s Largest Chain of Lakes. While Eagle River only has “nine lakes that span 3,928 acres with 68 miles of shoreline: Catfish Lake, Voyageur Lake, Eagle Lake, Scattering Rice Lake, Otter Lake, Lynx Lake, Duck Lake, Yellow Birch Lake, and nearby Watersmeet Lake,” (Paragraph 1).  All of these lakes connect and can go from one to another by boat. These lakes also connect to 20 lakes in the Three Lakes chain. Oddly enough, there aren’t three lakes, in Three Lakes, but twenty. I chose this source because I didn’t even know that Eagle River was part of the World’s Largest Chain of Lakes, and so I found this very interesting.  This source has ethos. It is very credible because it is the Lakes for Vacation and Recreation website for Three Lakes and Eagle River. So I believe that this site and everything on it is true. This source talks about Eagle River’s lakes and how they have affected Eagle River. Since they are all connected, they make for good fishing for all of the fishermen. It also talks a little bit about the past and how lumberjacks would use it to send their wood down the lakes. It also talks about how early settlers would use it to travel and also for fishing, to feed their families.

I believe that this source is very good because it is an official web page that has its copyrights. So all of the information on it has to be true. However, one bad thing about this is that they are trying to attract people to come to Eagle River and Three Lakes, so it doesn’t say any thing bad about the lakes. But I’ve taken that into consideration and know that it is all positive information about these lakes. This helps my understanding of “What is Eagle River is Known For.” I didn’t know that it was part of chain of lakes. So this helps me know more about the town of Eagle River more. This source is very good and I am glad that I found it, because it helps me get a better understanding of my question.

Some other questions that I might ask is how does being a part of the World’s Largest Chain of Lakes, help the economy in Eagle River? I could also find out more information on how the early settlers used this chain of lakes. Also I could find out how do people use it now and compare it to how they used it in the past.

“Eagle River Chain of Lakes, Wisconsin, USA.” Lakelubbers. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2013.

http://usahockeymagazine.com/article/2011-04/golden-pond

Eagle River is covered in snow for a good portion of the year. So what is there to do in the wintertime? Well Eagle River seemed to find the right answer. I found out that Eagle River is the Hockey Capital of Wisconsin. Every year, there is one weekend in February, where they get a huge hockey tournament on Dollar Lake. In 2006, it started with 40 teams, and in 2010, they had over 250 (paragraph 13)! So this tournament keeps on growing. Many residents in Eagle River don’t mind the tournament, because even though stores become crowded, the average team spends about $500 that weekend on various items and places to stay (paragraph 15). While there are many teams, there are even more fans. Just to watch one game, there could be up to four rows of fans trying to watch one game. Also, Eagle River is where the Wisconsin Hockey Hall of Fame is located too. So that is another reason why hockey fans can come visit Eagle River. I chose this source because it gives me another look at Eagle River and why it’s popular.

This source has ethos because it is a USA Hockey Magazine article and therefore it is very credible. It talks about a big hockey tournament that is held in Eagle River every year. It also has some quotes from players and people in Eagle River, making it more credible because they actually talked to these people, and got their view on this tournament.

This source’s content is about the hockey tournament and how people love it. It is also about how it helps Eagle River’s economy every year because hotels book up, and many stores get extra help this weekend to sell their inventory. Its argument is that hockey is a great sport. Not only do people love watching it, but also it helps out a town when they have a tournament, because stores sell a lot more items and make a lot of money.

This source is awesome. It tells me a lot about the hockey tournament helps Eagle River out and people of Eagle River love this weekend because it’s a huge source of income for some businesses. However, I know that this is a Hockey Magazine, and that it is bias to hockey. So it probably doesn’t say much about the bad parts about the tournament, only the good. And also that it only says good things about hockey. However, I’ve taken that into account and know that they are bias to the subject.

This source helps me a lot. It further answers my question of “What is Eagle River Known For?” I learned that Eagle River is the Wisconsin Hockey Capital of Wisconsin. This source is great; it gives me some great information about what goes on in Eagle River every year. It also explains why Eagle River has this event every year. Some things that are missing from this article could be: teams that won the tournament, how it all started, and who started it? I want to find more information on these topics, so I can get a little better understanding of the tournament and write more about it.

These sources that I’ve found have been very helpful. They’ve told me about the major events in Eagle River. Maybe I could find more information about the history of Eagle River, and why all of these events started. This could lead me to go more in depth and learn more about the wonderful town of Eagle River!

“On Golden Pond.” USA Hockey Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2013.

http://www.derbytrack.com/history.cfm

My source is the website to the World Championship Snowmobile Derby web page. It talks about how Carl Eliason made the very first design of the snowmobile. It was a more of a toboggan, but it had two skis in the front that could control which direction you go, and a track that helps it move through the snow. Then it explains that John Alward and his wife wanted to make winter better. So they invented wanted to race these snowmobiles to make the winter a better time! Then on February 9, 1964 the first Derby began. They’ve been racing every year and this year (2014) will be the 51^st annual Derby. I started with this source because Eagle River is known for its snowmobiling. After all, it is the Snowmobile Capital of the World!

This website has a lot of ethos. It is the official website of the World Championship Snowmobile Derby, so I can believe that all of the information is real and not made up. It also talks about every Derby that they have had in the past, until now. This website has many parts to it, it is promotional, so they are trying to sell us tickets to come watch the Derby. It also has a lot of other information on it. However, I just focused on the history part. In this, they talked a little bit about every single derby from 1964, until now. It also talks about how some years were special. For example, it says that in “2001 saw a record of racers and fans.”

This source is very good. I like it because it has a lot of information, and it is the official website of the World Championship Snowmobile Derby. That means that all of the information should be true and very credible. However, it also means that they are very prideful of the Derby, and don’t write about the negatives of the Derby. So I need to take that into account when I look at the information and write about it in my essay.

I’ve learned through this site that Eagle River is the Snowmobile Capital of the world and has been due to the Championship Derby Every year for the past 50 years. This source is very valid and useful for me. It helps me know a little bit more of what Eagle River is known for. I still am missing other information about what Eagle River known for. So I want to find out more about Eagle River and piece together this town where  I call my second home!

“History.” Amsoil Eagle River Derbytrack. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2013.

Wanting to know more about Eagle River, Wisconsin I formed my question around that. So I asked: what is Eagle River known for, and how did that become popular? This has been on my mind for a while, but I haven’t gotten around to learning more about it. The reason why this sparks my interest is because my family has owned a cottage there for thirteen years now and I don’t know a whole lot about the history of Eagle River. So I was intrigued to learn more about it.

I think that my question is important because I want to know about the history of my cottage. I want to explore more about my topic because it is interesting, and would be cool to know about what Eagle River is known for.

I currently do not have a satisfactory understanding of my question because there isn’t a ton of information in the Eau Claire Archives that give me a defined answer. So I need to dive into the books at the library and find good, credible sources online, which will help me get more information about what Eagle River is known for, and how they became popular for that.