Hurley, WI

Hurley is Iron County’s seat on the Montreal River, directly across the Wisconsin-Michigan line from Ironwood. The river forms the border with Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, while U.S. 2 and the northern terminus of U.S. 51 connect Hurley to the rest of northern Wisconsin. The city grew from the late-19th- and early-20th-century iron-mining and lumber booms, and its name comes from attorney M. A. Hurley, whose legal work helped a local mining company. The county courthouse and library remain part of the city center.

Hurley’s current calendar and trail network still carry those working-landscape connections. The city hosts an ATV rally on Memorial Day weekend, a fall Pumpkin ATV rally, and the Red Light Snowmobile Rally. The western terminus of the nonmotorized Iron Belle Trail begins in Hurley along a former Soo Line railroad corridor, while Iron County’s ATV routes pass mining, logging, and transportation sites. The courthouse, historic downtown, Montreal River, and cross-border relationship with Ironwood give Hurley a distinct county-seat map.