Located roughly 10 minutes (6 miles) northwest of Iron River, Wisconsin, Oulu, Wisconsin is not found on most printed maps.

This Northern Wisconsin town is known as T48N-R9W in Bayfield County land and plat records and federal homestead land records. The town line borders Douglas County on the West, along with its sister Finnish town of Waino.

Whether using current internet technology or traditional print reference materials to search for information on Oulu, Wisconsin, little is found.

There is a wealth of information about the much larger Finnish city and province. Modern Oulu, Finland is internationally recognized for leadership in science and technology.

However, the American namesake is more humbly recognized for its natural beauty, the peaceful vistas and its close proximity to the greatest of the Great Lakes-Lake Superior.

In years past, schools, stores, abundant farms and cattle were part of the landscape. However, the present day landscape, as well as economy, have changed significantly.

Modern homes, vacant farms, a few aged barns and an occasional cattle herd are what one sees when traveling the now mostly blacktopped roadways. In the 1990s, the last store closed and the last school has been converted to an apartment building.

The concern for the preservation of Oulu's heritage has prompted the organization of an Oulu Chapter of the Bayfield County Historical Society. As part of the group's long range goal to preserve Oulu's history, several historic buildings have been moved to land adjacent to the Palo Homestead site and renovated as the Oulu Cultural & Heritage Center. 

The original log home from the Pudas homestead, the former Fairview one-room school house, the Northern Co-op Society store building, and an authentic savu sauna (smoke sauna) can also be toured on the Heritage Center site. The buildings contain Oulu area artifacts and provide displays and interpretation of early life in Oulu.