Independence, WI

Tucked into western Wisconsin’s Driftless Area, Independence has a fun backstory. Back in the 1870s, when the railroad laid tracks where Elk Creek meets the Trempealeau River, residents in a nearby settlement literally put their shops, school, and mill on wooden skids and dragged them over to the new depot. Today, that waterside location gives the town a relaxed, scenic atmosphere, with Bugle Lake right in the heart of the community and steep, wooded bluffs all around. It is a quiet place to call home, with great water access and deep local roots.