Strum, WI

Strum is a Trempealeau County village along the Buffalo River, also called the Beef River, with Crystal Lake right beside the town. Norwegian immigrants settled the place as a trading post in the mid-1800s, and Strum became a village in 1948. The modern local map is built for weekends: Crystal Lake parks and campground, a boat landing, the Viking golf area, and the Buffalo River State Trail on a reclaimed rail bed. That trail runs 36 miles through west-central Wisconsin, linking Strum to the river valley and nearby communities. Strum's local mix is Norwegian roots, lake water, and an old railroad corridor that still carries people through the countryside.