Upper Wisconsin Conference

{{Short description|Wisconsin high school athletic conference (1926-1939)}} The '''Upper Wisconsin Conference''' is a former high school athletic conference with its membership base in the northern part of the state. Founded in 1926 and disbanded in 1939, the conference and its member schools were affiliated with the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.

== History == {{OSM Location map | title = | coord = {{coord|46.2000|-90.4500}} | float = right | zoom = 8  | width = 250 | height = 250 | mark-size1=10 | mark-title1=Butternut | mark-coord1 = {{coord|46.0166|-90.4955}} | mark-description1=Location: | shape-color1=#ff8200 | shape1=circle | mark-title2=Fifield | mark-coord2={{coord|45.8799|-90.4195}} | mark-description2=Location: | shape-color2=#0032a0 | shape2=circle | mark-title3=Glidden | mark-coord3={{coord|46.1340|-90.5787}} | mark-description3=Location: | shape-color3=#e35205 | shape3=circle | mark-title4=Hurley | mark-coord4={{coord|46.4560|-90.2020}} | mark-description4=Location: | shape-color4=#000000 | shape4=circle | mark-title5=Iron Belt | mark-coord5={{coord|46.4008|-90.3245}} | mark-description5=Location: | shape-color5=#ffc72c | shape5=circle | mark-title6=Mellen | mark-coord6={{coord|46.3232|-90.6597}} | mark-description6=Location: | shape-color6=#005eb8 | shape6=circle | mark-title7=Park Falls | mark-coord7={{coord|45.9459|-90.4538}} | mark-description7=Location: | shape-color7=#ba0c2f | shape7=circle | caption = Location of Original Upper Wisconsin Conference Members | auto-caption= | wrap=wrap}} The Upper Wisconsin Conference was formed in 1926 by seven small high schools in far northern Wisconsin: Butternut, Fifield, Glidden, Hurley, Iron Belt, Mellen and Park Falls.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |date=2 December 1926 |title=New Prep League for North State |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/250607372/?match=1&terms=%22upper%20wisconsin%20interscholastic%22 |access-date=8 May 2025 |work=Stevens Point Journal |pages=4}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite news |date=28 January 1927 |title=Mellen Leads Basket League |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/358579070/?match=1&terms=butternut%20fifield%20glidden%20iron%20belt%20mellen%20park%20falls%20standings |access-date=8 May 2025 |work=Iron County Miner |pages=2}}</ref> Charter members of the conference were located in three counties (Ashland, Iron and Price) and five of the original seven schools were located along Wisconsin Highway 13, a major north-south thoroughfare connecting Wisconsin Dells and Superior. Hurley left the Upper Wisconsin Conference in 1928,<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |date=10 February 1928 |title=Glidden Still On Top |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/358594851/?match=1&terms=%22upper%20wisconsin%20interscholastic%22 |access-date=8 May 2025 |work=Iron County Miner |pages=2}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite news |date=23 November 1928 |title=Mellen Has First Game Next Tuesday |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/54880670/?match=1&terms=iron%20belt%20basketball%20schedule |access-date=8 May 2025 |work=Ironwood Daily Globe |pages=3}}</ref> only to return the next year.<ref name=":4">{{Cite news |date=8 March 1930 |title=First Road Game Lost By Midgets |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/54579299/?match=1&terms=%22upper%20wisconsin%20league%22 |access-date=8 May 2025 |work=Ironwood Daily Globe |pages=7}}</ref> Their second stint in the conference ended in 1932, and the circuit continued with six member schools.<ref name=":5">{{Cite news |date=8 March 1933 |title=No Tourney for Iron Belt Quint |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/54830241/?match=1&terms=butternut%20fifield%20glidden%20iron%20belt%20mellen%20park%20falls%20standings |access-date=8 May 2025 |work=Ironwood Daily Globe |pages=7}}</ref> In 1935, Fifield left the Upper Wisconsin Conference and were replaced by Saxon to keep the roster at six schools.<ref name=":6">{{Cite news |date=2 October 1935 |title=School League Officers Named |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/54882768/?match=1&terms=%22upper%20wisconsin%20league%22 |access-date=8 May 2025 |work=Ironwood Daily Globe |pages=8}}</ref> By this time, the conference was referred to informally as the '''Soo Line League''' (not to be confused with a different league in the region also using that name).<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.classmates.com/siteui/yearbooks/1000247215?page=75 |title=1936 Torch |publisher=Park Falls High School |publication-date=1936 |pages=39-40}}</ref> Fifield rejoined the conference the next year, offsetting the loss of Mellen and Park Falls to independent status.<ref name=":7">{{Cite news |date=25 January 1937 |title=Saxon Quintet Leads League |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/54561960/?match=1&terms=saxon%20glidden%20butternut%20basketball |access-date=8 May 2025 |work=Ironwood Daily Globe |pages=7}}</ref> The conference originally ended play in 1937 after failing to agree to a league schedule,<ref name=":8">{{Cite news |date=18 October 1937 |title=School News in Iron Belt |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/54566737/?match=1&terms=glidden%20basketball |access-date=8 May 2025 |work=Ironwood Daily Globe |pages=4}}</ref><ref name=":9">{{Cite news |date=16 November 1937 |title=Saxon Cagers to Open Play |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/54567962/?match=1&terms=mellen%20basketball |access-date=8 May 2025 |work=Ironwood Daily Globe |pages=7}}</ref> but reformed soon after as the '''Soo Line Athletic League''' by six former members (Butternut, Fifield, Glidden, Iron Belt, Mellen and Park Falls) along with Phillips, formerly of the other Soo Line League.<ref name=":10">{{Cite news |date=5 November 1937 |title=Phillips Team Suffers Defeat |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/1241083351/?match=1&terms=%22soo%20line%20league%22%20phillips |access-date=13 April 2026 |work=Superior Evening Telegram |pages=17}}</ref> Saxon was not included in this roster and joined the Indianhead Conference for the 1937-38 school year.<ref name=":42">{{Cite news |date=8 May 1937 |title=Vesperman Is Named Head of Athletic Loop |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/1241111575/?match=1&terms=%22bayfield%20county%20athletic%20league%22 |access-date=13 April 2026 |work=Superior Evening Telegram |pages=13}}</ref> This alignment lost Fifield and Iron Belt as members in 1938<ref name=":11">{{Cite news |date=28 April 1938 |title=Soo Line League Is Organized Tuesday |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/1241155619/?match=1&terms=%22soo%20line%20league%22%20phillips |access-date=13 April 2026 |work=Superior Evening Telegram |pages=19}}</ref> and continued for one more season before suspending operations in 1939.

== Conference membership history == {| class="wikitable sortable" !School !Location !Affiliation !Mascot !Colors !Joined !Left !Conference Joined !Current Conference |- |'''Butternut''' |Butternut, WI |Public |Midgets |{{color box|ff8200}} {{color box|black}} |1926<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> |1939 |Flambeau League |Northern Lights |- |'''Fifield''' |Fifield, WI |Public |Vikings |{{color box|0032a0}} {{color box|ffc72c}} |1926,<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> 1936<ref name=":7" /> |1935,<ref name=":6" /> 1938<ref name=":11" /> |Independent |Closed in 1962 (consolidated into Park Falls) |- |'''Glidden''' |Glidden, WI |Public |Vikings |{{color box|black}} {{color box|e35205}} |1926.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> |1939 |Flambeau League |Closed in 2009 (merged into Chequamegon) |- |'''Hurley''' |Hurley, WI |Public |Midgets |{{color box|black}} {{color box|ff8200}} |1926,<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> 1929<ref name=":4" /> |1928,<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /> 1932<ref name=":5" /> |Independent |Northern Lights |- |'''Iron Belt''' |Iron Belt, WI |Public |Hornets |{{color box|black}} {{color box|ffc72c}} |1926<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> |1938<ref name=":11" /> |Independent |Closed in 1957 (consolidated into Hurley) |- |'''Mellen''' |Mellen, WI |Public |Granite Diggers |{{color box|005eb8}} {{color box|white}} |1926<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />, 1937<ref name=":10" /> |1936.<ref name=":7" /> 1939 |Independent |Northern Lights |- |'''Park Falls''' |Park Falls, WI |Public |Cardinals |{{color box|ba0c2f}} {{color box|white}} |1926<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />, 1937<ref name=":10" /> |1936,<ref name=":7" /> 1939 |Independent |Closed in 2009 (merged into Chequamegon) |- |'''Saxon''' |Saxon, WI |Public |Knights |{{color box|ba0c2f}} {{color box|white}} |1935<ref name=":6" /> |1937<ref name=":42" /> |Indianhead |Closed in 1964 (consolidated into Hurley) |- |'''Phillips''' |Phillips, WI |Public |Loggers |{{color box|black}} {{color box|e35205}} |1937<ref name=":10" /> |1939 |Independent |Marawood |}

== Membership timeline == <timeline> DateFormat = yyyy ImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:20 Period = from:1926 till:1939 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal PlotArea = right:30 left:0 bottom:50 top:5

Colors = id:barcolor value:rgb(0.99,0.7,0.7) id:line value:black id:bg value:white

PlotData= width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:m

bar:1 color:tan1 from:1926 till:1939 text:Butternut (1926-1939) bar:2 color:tan1 from:1926 till:1935 text:Fifield (1926-1935) bar:2 color:tan1 from:1936 till:1938 text:(1936-1938) bar:3 color:tan1 from:1926 till:1937 text:Glidden (1926-1937) bar:4 color:tan1 from:1926 till:1928 text:Hurley (1926-1938) bar:4 color:tan1 from:1929 till:1932 text:(1929-1932) bar:5 color:tan1 from:1926 till:1938 text:Iron Belt (1926-1938) bar:6 color:tan1 from:1926 till:1936 text:Mellen (1926-1936) bar:6 color:tan1 from:1937 till:1939 text:(1937-1939) bar:7 color:tan1 from:1926 till:1936 text:Park Falls (1926-1936) bar:7 color:tan1 from:1937 till:1939 text:(1937-1939) bar:8 color:tan1 from:1935 till:1937 text:Saxon (1935-1937) bar:9 color:tan1 from:1937 till:1939 text:Phillips (1937-1939)

ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:1 start:1926

</timeline> == References ==  {{reflist}}

Category:Sports organizations established in 1926 Category:Wisconsin high school sports conferences Category:1926 establishments in Wisconsin Category:1937 establishments in Wisconsin