Eagle River, Wisconsin: Pleasure Island (Gone)

Pleasure Island was indeed an attraction in Eagle River. Part of it is still there, near the river, where the snowmobile derbies take place. I can take you back to the '60s. It was a main attraction, along with Aqualand in Boulder Junction.

I'd like to add one more fact: The Christmas barn was a restaurant called Babe's Blue Ox Inn. They specialized in family style serving. The had a special: if you could eat a 32 oz. T-bone in one sitting, it was free. My dad always talked about it, and one year he tried it! We drove back to Arbor Vitae with his pants unbuttoned. He leaned back in an adirondack chair when we got back to the cabin, and he leaned back and sat there for some time. I guess we'd call that heart-attack on a plate now!

Anyone remember Soda Pop the Bear? I used to think it was so cool that a bear would drink pop! Now, I think how crazy it was.

I also remember the great train ride! My brother was around 5 back then, and when the robber came out of the woods to steal my Mom's purse, he jumped over the seats and whacked him. This was after a few years of visits -- before he was five he would cry at even the thought of going on the train ride!

I wish it was still around.

Pleasure Island was in Eagle River, WI. I worked there for a summer in about 1983 or 84. I played the part of "Roy Robber" that is described in the first entry.

I remember Pleasure Island fairly well since my family went there several times between about 1977 and 1983. I honestly think that place has been the source of many of my recurring nightmares over the past 25 years.

There was a train ride. At first it was just a matter of looking at the pretty woods and trying to spot deer. But then the train would stop. And there would be shouting and a couple guys would come down the aisle dressed as cowboys, waving their guns and looking for the gold. My family always thought it would be so cute if I happened to have the gold. It was terrifying. I think I cried a lot and had to be told that it was just "pretend" afterwards.

I also remember sitting in the tavern and two of the cowboys would get into a fight that escalated into a full scale shootout outside in the center of the town. Also terrifying to a 4 year old...

Then there was this movie ride thing about the San Francisco earthquake. We would sit in theater seating in a room that I remember as very very pink. Like a pink brocade turn-of-the-century wallpaper. We would start watching some movie about San Francisco, and then all hell would break loose during the movie, the ground would start shaking in the room and by the end of it, most of the stuff on the walls had fallen down.

They also had a petting zoo, a boat ride, a pony ride, and a fiberglass elephant I had my picture taken on top of. And there was a Christmas Barn across the street open year round.

Pleasure Island and Circle M Corral were two different places. I spent most of my summer vacations in the Northwoods as a child because my grandparents lived there. Pleasure Island was a recreation of an Old West town. I remember the skeletons. I also believe they had shoot outs and you could pan for "gold". Circle M started out giving trail rides in the mid '70s and expanded from there to go-carts, mini golf, etc. I believe it closed last year.