Washburn County was created in 1883 when the Wisconsin legislature divided Burnett County; the eastern portion of old Burnett County became Washburn County. Not sure why the legislature decided to do this, but I’m sure they had a good reason. The new county was named after Cadwallader Washburn who was the 11th governor of the State of Wisconsin (1872-1874); he also served in the U.S. House of Representatives for five terms, representing two different districts in Wisconsin.
Shell Lake is the seat of Washburn County. The settlement has been around since about 1880, or at least that’s when the Shell Lake post office began operations. Shell Lake was named for the shells of freshwater bivalves that were found along the shore of the lake. Both the city (incorporated in 1961) and the lake are named Shell Lake.
The Washburn County courthouse is located at 10 4th Avenue in Shell Lake. The Law Enforcement Center is also in Shell Lake at 421 Highway 63.