Herbster, WI

Herbster is a census-designated place in Clover in Bayfield County, Wisconsin, United States, located on the south shore of Lake Superior. The 2020 census counted 130 residents. Herbster is 7 miles east of Port Wing and 8 miles west of Cornucopia on Wisconsin Highway 13, the main route through the community. The primary north/south route is by Lenawee Road / Forest Road 262, leading from Lake Superior to the Chequamegon National Forest. Logging remained the force in Herbster's economy throughout the 20th century, driven by the Isaksson family, who still operate the sawmill and remain the largest landowners in the area.

Today, service trades and a growing tourist industry have emerged as major players in the Herbster economy. A newcomer can read Herbster through the overlap of its older landmarks, surrounding geography, and current places. For a newcomer, Herbster comes into focus through those concrete links among its past, landscape, and current routines. Herbster School closed its doors in 1990, but its historic log gymnasium remains open as a community center and town hall. The Cranberry River joins the lake in the middle of the community. Herbster includes the Cranberry River.