If These Woods Could Talk

10/01/2026

We're participating in the launch of this cool new program in Rhinelander! Northwoods Nerd Nite will feature a short presentation on the Donnerstag family and other crime in the Northwoods to be followed by a Q&A. Also featuring speakers on National Parks and the Salem witch hunts. October 20 at the Rhinelander Brewing Company

Nerd Nite kicks off with 3 talks ranging from counterfeiting operations in the Northwoods to how one might survive being accused of witchcraft.

The fun kicks off at 6:00pm with the first presentation at 6:30. Come join us at Rhinelander Brewing Company and have a drink, indulge your curiosity, and have some fun! The show is free, the talks are nerdy, and we'll be back every month on the 3rd Tuesday.

09/23/2026

09/23/2026

🌳🌲If These Woods Could Talk, they mightmake a big scene and then just sort of…fade away🌲🎆

In Chapter 6, I sit down again with Doug and Kate to discuss the end of the story to the best of our knowledge. The family is through with their escapades. We follow them through the rest of their lives and discuss if it’s possible to tell a true crime story in a respectful way. We also hear from Harrison at the Library of Congress’ Recorded Sound Research Center.

Thanks for listening to the Donnerstag Family of Woodboro series, produced by the Rhinelander District Library. You can follow If These Woods Could Talk on facebook and instagram, youtube, and most podcast platforms. Contact the Rhinelander District Library if you've got a Northwoods story to tell.

If you’ve enjoyed this series, please consider donating to the Rhinelander District Library Foundation’s building fund. Information can be found at the link below:
https://rdlfoundation.org/library-capital-campaign/

🌳🌲If These Woods Could Talk, they mightmake a big scene and then ju...

09/16/2026

🌳🌲If These Woods Could Talk, they might have a hard time readjusting to the outside🌲🛣️

Chapter 5 brings us to 1908, with Hugo fresh out of the pen. He returns to the family home with his mom, his brother Albert, his sisters Clara and Emma, and older brother Rudolph just a few miles away on his own homestead. With Louis out of the picture, Hugo needs to find a way to make some money.

Listen as the Donnerstag saga reaches a bloody (and often cartoonish) crescendo.

This chapter is told with returning friends Katie, Kerry, and Stevie.

Got questions? Leave them in the comments, and I’ll try to answer them next week.

If you’re enjoying this series, please consider donating to the Rhinelander District Library Foundation’s building fund. Information can be found at the link below:
https://rdlfoundation.org/library-capital-campaign/

🌳🌲If These Woods Could Talk, they might have a hard time readjustin...

09/11/2026

Two of my favorite things--trivia and local history. I did a Northwoods quiz with Dan and Lily on Up North at 4 yesterday!

What's your score? 1 point for correct answers, 2 points if you knew before the multiple choice.

Did you know that a man from Rhinelander saved Theodore Roosevelt's...

09/10/2026

If these woods could talk, they might stop by Up North at 4 this afternoon to talk about Donnerstags and some other local history! Wish me luck.

09/09/2026

🌳🌲If These Woods Could Talk, they might threaten your life day after day🌲😠

After last week’s interlude, Chapter 4 of the Donnerstag Saga picks back up where Chapter 2 left off: Louis is out of prison and back at the family home on Manson Lake. We will finally address the news article teased in Chapter 1 and discuss the truth behind the headline, “Suicide at Manson.”

Warning: this episode contains some graphic depictions of violence.

Featuring my friends Doug and Kate.

Got questions? Leave them in the comments, and I’ll try to answer them next week.

If you’re enjoying this series, please consider donating to the Rhinelander District Library Foundation’s building fund. Information can be found at the link below:
https://rdlfoundation.org/library-capital-campaign/

09/02/2026

🌳🌲If These Woods Could Talk, they might keep their secrets all the same🌲🤫

In Chapter 3 of the story we take a slight departure from the main plotline and do a little world-building while exploring a couple of mysteries that befuddled and confounded me. Historical research–especially when it concerns people who were just, well…people–can be difficult and frustrating. I speak with a few friends about those struggles and tell a couple of stories from the Northwoods around the turn of the 20th century, including an investigation into Bessie Harris, the former family friend who testified against Louis in last week’s episode.

Featuring friends from
WXPR Public Radio
Entity Ventures Paranormal-E.V.P
Pioneer Park Historical Complex

Do you have lingering questions? I want to answer them next week. Please leave them in the comments.

08/26/2026

🌳🌲If These Woods Could Talk, they might tell you about grudges and blood in the streets🌲🔫

We’re back again with Anita, Dan, and Lily. Chapter 2 picks up in 1891 where we meet Sherman A. Merritt, a railroad conductor in Tomahawk whose first run-in with the Donnerstags left him with a lasting bad impression that grew into a feud.

Do you have lingering questions? I want to answer them next week. Please leave them in the comments!

🌳🌲If These Woods Could Talk, they might tell you about grudges and ...

08/19/2026

🌳🌲If These Woods Could Talk, they might tell you about the 1880s influx of European immigrants who hacked and sawed their way ever northward, creating the Wisconsin we know today 🌲🪚

Meet the Donnerstag family of Woodboro! In this, the first chapter of the story, we follow Louis and Johanna Donnerstag from German Bohemia to the United States, to Wisconsin, and to Marathon County and further north.

This six part series tells the true story–largely lost to time–of a troubled family that once terrorized the Northwoods and almost earned notoriety akin to the James or Dalton gangs.

Chapter 2 will be released in a week.

🌳🌲If These Woods Could Talk, they might tell you about the 1880s in...