Hodag Tower has stood sentinel over nearby Rhinelander since its construction in 1949. It’s named after the mythical creature that terrorized logging camps in Wisconsin’s Northwoods during the lumbering heyday of the early 1900’s and which has become a namesake of the Rhinelander community. The tower is a standard design created by the Wisconsin Conservation Commission (now DNR) in the 30’s referred to as the Wisconsin Standard Ladder Protected. It features an external, cage-protected ladder. At 120 feet, Hodag is one of the tallest lookouts in the State and in its early years also served as a base station in the State’s early radio network. The lookout was staffed intermittently during spring fire season until 2015 when Wisconsin decommissioned its lookout network. It is now under private ownership.