Parks History

Pine Point Park


The area of land that is now Pine Point was first presented to Chippewa County as a tax delinquent land in 1931. The land did not sell and, by 1935, Chippewa County purchased the initial parcel that lies on the western edge of the park.  Per Resolution #5 of the Chippewa County Board in 1939, the remaining land became Chippewa County property – no use specified at that time. All of this took place, however, years before the Holcombe Flowage existed. 
 
1963 Original Boat Landing and Beach Area
    

The area was originally known as Little Falls and a dam by the same name was constructed by the Union Lumbering Company in 1872. This structure was believed to be the world’s largest “right angle” wooden dam and its purpose was to store water that could later be released to float logs down the Chippewa River. Portions of the dam would break away in times of high water and, eventually, a major flood tore the dam out entirely. The Chippewa Lumber and Board Company, who operated the world’s largest sawmill downriver in Chippewa Falls, had acquired the dam in 1880 and immediately rebuilt a massive wooden dam to feed logs to their mill. The dam at Little Falls was abandoned in 1910 when the logging boom ended and Chippewa Lumber and Board Company closed their doors. 
 
The site of the dam was sold in 1914 to the Wisconsin-Minnesota Light and Power Company, (later known as the Northern States Power Company), and due to damage from the river, the dam washed out again in the 1920’s. It wasn’t until 1950 that the current hydro-electric dam was built by the Wisconsin-Minnesota Light and Power Company creating what is now known as the 3,900-acre Holcombe Flowage. 
 
After the Chippewa River was dammed at Holcombe, the property Chippewa County purchased in 1939 became an island. In the process of developing the park, one side of the water frontage was blocked off in order to provide access to the land. The Pine Point Park project began in 1961, and was completed in June of 1963.  Pine Point is the largest of our campgrounds and the County leases the northern edge of the park which is now the property of Xcel Energy (successors to the Northern States Power Company). With ample camping, picnicking, boating and fishing opportunities, Chippewa County’s Pine Point Park is the complete package and an outstanding choice for outdoor summer fun!
 

Photo Galleries

Pine Point 1963

Pine Point 1967

Pine Point 1989


Pine Point 2014

Pine Point 2024