I visited Keshena on Monday September 11, 2017. I was on my way home from the Door County Century bike ride and I took the long way home in order to visit the Shawano, Menominee and Marathon courthouses. I hadn’t been in Menominee County for more than 40 years, so it was interesting to see how much things had changed. As I drove into Keshena I could see the new high school and of course the casino, and there were other changes as well. Keshena is not a town, so it is spread out along the highway and it takes a while to drive through it.

I’m not sure when the courthouse was actually built; according to my sources it must have been after 1998. It’s a very striking building and certainly the most interesting courthouse I’ve visited so far. It looks more like a big cottage or a small resort set in among the trees. It really blends in with the environment quite well; certainly the architects did a good job designing the building. On the other side of the parking lot is the tribal police and court building. I’m not sure what the relationship is between the county and tribal police and court systems.