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Joe Steinbring

Pattison State Park

A bench on a sunny lawn above a calm lake ringed with dark pines.
Interfalls Lake, in August 2021.2021 · Photograph by Joe Steinbring
Static offline map showing Pattison State Park in Wisconsin with a location pin.

Pattison State Park is on the Black River south of Superior, and it holds Big Manitou Falls, which at 165 feet is the highest waterfall in Wisconsin. The park exists because Martin Pattison of Superior quietly bought the land around the falls to keep them from being dammed and gave it to the state, and it was dedicated in 1920. I spent the early afternoon of August 12, 2021, there, the day after I was at Big Bay State Park. I started at Interfalls Lake, looked down into the gorge at the falls from the overlook, and walked past the shelter building the Civilian Conservation Corps built of stone between 1937 and 1940.

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  • A tall waterfall pouring down a dark rock gorge, seen through pine branches.

    Big Manitou Falls, the highest waterfall in Wisconsin.

    2021 · Photograph by Joe Steinbring

  • A bronze plaque naming the park for Martin Pattison, set in a slab of stone.

    The plaque for Martin Pattison’s gift.

    2021 · Photograph by Joe Steinbring

  • A stone building with a tall chimney, dark wood gables, and shutters, under a blue sky.

    The shelter building the CCC built from 1937 to 1940.

    2021 · Photograph by Joe Steinbring

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