LAC DU FLAMBEAU — Dave Miess and his wife, Sandy Schlosser, at times need to pull a sled filled with groceries across a frozen, snow-covered lake.
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Dennis Pearson dons a snowmobile helmet after returning from a nearly 90-mile commute from Wausau to his home on Ross Allen Lake in Lac du Flambeau. Pearson has about a 1-mile ride to reach his home after departing from a friend's home on the southwestern shoreline of the 64-acre lake.
A FedEx delivery notice was left Wednesday on a barricade blocking East Ross Allen Lane, a town of Lac du Flambeau road that crosses 153 feet of tribal land.
The Lac du Flambeau Band of Chippewa has inhabited this area since 1745, with the reservation established by treaties in the mid-1800s after the U.S. government attempted but failed to remove the tribe from the land. The reservation is home to 260 lakes, 65 miles of streams, lakes and rivers, and about 1,420 tribal members.
Winter remains in full swing on the reservation of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Chippewa in Vilas County.
Sandy Schlosser and Dave Meiss relax in their home, which is now inaccessible by vehicle. The couple lived in the village of Oregon for 25 years before buying a home in 2020 on Ross Allen Lake, but they were unaware of an expired easement for a road that uses land owned by the Lac du Flambeau Band of Chippewa.
Dianne Lohse waits for members of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Chippewa to clear a barricade blocking the road to the home she shares with her husband, Darwin. The couple was returning from Darwin’s physical therapy appointment, a permitted exception to the tribe’s travel restrictions on roads that use part of tribal land but for which easements expired more than 10 years ago.
Town of Lac du Flambeau supervisor Gloria Cobb, left, and chairman Matt Gaulke conduct a monthly meeting of the town board Wednesday. About 35 people concerned about a dispute with the Lac du Flambeau Band of Chippewa over road easements attended the meeting.
A notice received by more than 60 property owners was sent in January by the Lac du Flambeau Band of Chippewa announcing portions of four roads that cross tribal land would be closed.
A Wisconsin state historical marker along Highway 47 on the shore of Flambeau Lake describes the history of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Chippewa.
For Sandy Schlosser and Dave Miess, it's about a 10-minute trek across the frozen and snow-covered surface of Ross Allen Lake to leave their home. On Wednesday, they were returning from a town board meeting, and they are among 61 property owners without road access to their land.
Mike Hornbostel and his dog, Chance, have been sharing a cabin next door to his bar in Arbor Vitae. The bar is not on the Lac du Flambeau reservation, but Hornbostel's home is behind a barrier on the reservation. This is one of the busiest times of the year for Honbostel's bar, and he can't afford the extra time it takes to commute from his home.
Not only are some roads closed but some boat landings on the Lac du Flambeau reservation are now closed, like this one on White Sand Lake.
A Bureau of India Affairs-designated road route is marked on the reservation.
Sally Fermanich expresses her frustration at a town of Lac du Flambeau board meeting Wednesday over the lack of progress on easement negotiations with the Lac du Flambeau Band of Chippewa. She and her husband are building a home on Ross Allen Lake, but construction has been halted after the tribe on Jan. 31 barricaded roads to some properties in the town.
