Ashland, Wisconsin was once known as an entrepôt allowing shipping interests easy access to Wisconsin’s abundant natural resources (timber, quarry stone, iron ore, etc).  When shipping, mining, and the lumber trade began declining in the 1960’s, the local tachnical school, Northland College, shifted its emphasis from exploitation of resources to conservation studies.  This, along with easy access to the nearby Apostle Islands National Park, heralded the local shift to a pioneering role in the nascent environmental studies field.  One of the offshoots of this renaissance is Timeless Timber, a local firm specializing in hunting for virgin timber that sank to the bottom of regional waterways during the heyday of the lumber trade during the previous two centuries.  This innovative firm raises the logs, dries them and sells the finely grained wood for use in fine furniture, carvings, and musical instruments.  (Special thanks to www.midwestweekends.com for providing me with the bulk of my knowledge of this innovative Wisconsin venture).