Pattison State Park Campground

Pattison State Park Campground

Pattison is home to Wisconsin’s highest waterfall. Big Manitou Falls is the centerpiece of this park. Superlatively speaking, it is the highest waterfall in the state and certainly one of its most photographed. Not only do you get a view of the falls from the many overlooks, but vistas also open up to the north and down the canyon of the Black River, which rushes to meet the Nemadji River on its way to Lake Superior. Back in the late 1800s, Martin Pattison took part in logging the Black River watershed and saw the beauty of the falls, as well as its upstream cousin, Little Manitou Falls. Later in life he became a wealthy man, and upon hearing of a plan to dam the Black River and submerge the falls, Pattison bought 660 acres of land along the river, thus saving the falls. He donated this land to the state of Wisconsin in 1920. The land formed the nucleus of the scenic state park. During the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps made the park more visitor-friendly with their handiwork. A campground, added later, completes the picture. Today, Pattison is a worthwhile tent-camping destination.

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