Forgotten Pioneer

Martin Lynch was born in Ireland in 1820. He emigrated from Ireland to Canada when he was 19 years old. He came to North America and worked as a trapper and hunter in the Canadian wilderness. He had heard that trapping was particularly good along the fur trade route from Canada to Wisconsin, so he decided to follow that route. Along the way, he joined an Ojibwe (Anishinaabe) tribe and stayed with them. It took them three years to make their way from Canada to Wisconsin. During this time, Lynch became assimilated into the tribal way of life. Lynch married a woman from the tribe. whose name was Ramona, (born Ba-Go-Ne-Gi-Shi-Go-Kwe). She was the daughter of the Chief of the tribe. She never spoke English, so it is assumed that Martin Lynch spoke the tribal language.

He was the first white man to settle on the Wisconsin River two miles south of Rhinelander. He decided to settle there because he loved the woods and river. He was the only white man in the area for several years. Martin and Ramona’s first child was born in 1845, named Bridget or Biddie (e-Da-Wi-Gi-Jig). Ramona had ten children. Descendants of these children can be found around

Rhinelander, Sugar Camp, Lac du Flambeau, and other communities. Some of these individuals are 7th generation descendants.

Lynch was good friends with John Curran, who started a trading post near the confluence of the Pelican and Wisconsin Rivers. Stories are told that Curran was camping near the river and a man walked up to him when he was by his campfire. Curran thought it was one of the Native Americans because Lynch was wearing buckskin clothes and moccasins. It should have been a clue to Curran that he was not Native American because he had a large mass of red hair and a red beard. He was surprised to find out that Martin Lynch was a fellow Irishman. For years, they were the only two white men who lived in the area. They traded together and their children played together.

Martin Lynch also travelled a postal route that ran from Stevens Point to Jenny (Merrill) and to Ontonagon by canoe, snowshoe, and foot.

Lynch loved the woods and the river where he made his home. He loved the simple things in life and was not concerned about acquiring unnecessary material things. Throughout the years that Martin lived near Rhinelander, many people forgot that he was a white man and thought that he was a Native American. Perhaps, that is why the story of his life and adventures were forgotten by many. His obituary stated: “He was a peculiar individual in many respects. He seemed to care nothing for money, in which he differed materially from others when having followed his habits of life.”

He died on April 27, 1896, and was buried near his homestead two miles south of Rhinelander near the Wisconsin River. He had requested to be buried at this site. His wife, Ramona, was also buried there, along with forty other individuals from the tribe. The site is hardly visible now, but there is a boulder that marks the burial grounds, for this “forgotten pioneer.”

As the great-great granddaughters of Martin Lynch, we are happy that the Rhinelander Historical Society asked us to discuss the life of Martin Lynch, the first settler in the Rhinelander area.
Submitted by Rhonda Kolberg and Tina Kolberg Lee