The Chequamegon Bay area has a long and colorful history that started well before the settlement of Bayfield. Before the time of written records, Ojibway Chippewa legends have placed this group and others, including the Huron, Ottawa, and Sioux, here sometime prior to European discovery.
Recorded history of this area began when the first French explorers and missionaries paddled into Chequamegon Bay. Brule was searching for the elusive passage to the Orient. About two explorer-fur traders, the Sieur des Groseileers and his brother-in-law, the Sieur Radisson, made their way to Madeline Island and on to Lake Owen and the Namekagon River.
A mission was soon established at LaPointe, Madeline Island. For the next years, the region was exploited by the French, followed by the British and Americans. LaPointe served as the meeeting point for both whites and Indians.
As an agent for the American Fur company some years before, Rice had come to know the Chequamegon Bay region. Rice saw the potential of a great shipping and industrial port on a point of land across from LaPointe.
Its natural deep harbor protected by the Apostle Islands, was a likely terminus for St. Paul grain. We are pleased that our little community has caught your interest. Bayfield, Lake Superior, and the Apostle Islands have captured the imagination of tourists for over years. Bayfield has a proud heritage. We truly try to maintain our small town atmosphere and our high quality of life.
