Road arrows are legendary in the Northwoods. You’ll find them on state highways and county roads with names like NN and H. We had our first road arrows made in 1993 to direct traffic on Highway 70 to Sandy Point Resort. And when we learned that the DOT allowed arrows for golf courses, we had the world’s first “DISC GOLF COURSE” road arrow also made.
The previous owners of our property did not use road arrows. But it was the first signage I had made, and I knew right where to go to obtain them. A local painter named Walter Mastaglio had a sign business in Minocqua. Every local knew of the white road arrow with black sans serif lettering pointing the way to his studio off Highway 51 just south of the island.
Unfortunately, our original road arrows were stolen. And because Mastaglio passed in 2006, his arrows apparently became highly collectible. I’m not sure how many hands traded our arrow/s; however, to my surprise, in the spring of 2023, I saw a picture of one on Facebook. I knew it was ours because of the black outline and the tag. Genuine Mastaglio road arrows exhibit a pica-width black border and his signature in the lower right corner, which is flanked by tiny black pine trees.
The new owner of the Mastiglio arrow, an Ohio artist named Lisa Maughmer, purchased it at an antique fair and posted a photo of her acquired treasure. Someone tagged us, and I made contact. She said she had asked the seller about the resort, but he said he’d “never been to Wisconsin and had no idea” if the resort still existed. He bought the arrow at auction.
When Lisa learned it had been stolen, she immediately offered to return it. But I said no. I simply wanted her to know its history and to relate the story accordingly. “Let’s consider it the Sisterhood of the Traveling Road Arrow,” I wrote.
LISA SHAMHART MAUGHMER, owner of Studio706Art, is a talented mixed media/watercolor artist inspired by nature. “I paint what I feel more than what I see,” she says. “Wetlands, woods, and waterfalls, abstracts that echo the wild places I carry in my bones.”
In other words, we were part of a sisterhood before we even met. Her work shows in two Ohio galleries and is available for sale at studio706art.etsy.com. A painting of a lakeside birch tree cluster, which is uncannily similar to the iconic scene by our hole 27, is currently on its way to me.
Now here’s where the story gets good… Because Lisa, or “Sham” as her Facebook profile displays, found a way to deepen our connection.
Shortly after the new year, she sent an arrow right through my heart. When we returned home from our holiday travels, a large—very large and very heavy mystery package awaited us. Yes, it was our original Mastaglio arrow, packaged in layers and layers of cardboard and padding, and taped so securely that it took me twenty minutes to open it. In an accompanying package, she sent this letter:
“I’ve lived with the arrow for a while now. I found it unexpectedly, loved it immediately, and carried it home without knowing the full weight of what it was. Once I learned its story, I told myself I was just its caretaker for a time. And yet, time passed…
“Still, every time I looked at it, I felt the same quiet tug—this sense that it wasn’t meant to stay with me forever. Some things carry their place inside them. This arrow always knew where it belonged, even when I pretended I wasn’t quite ready to listen.
“Your words about Northwoods lore, about Mastaglio’s hand and signature, about the Sisterhood of the Traveling Road Arrow—those stayed with me. They gave the piece a heartbeat. And once something has a heartbeat, you can’t unknow that.
“So I’m sending it home.
“Not out of obligation, but out of respect. For the hands that made it. For the road it pointed down. For the stories it witnessed long before it crossed my path. I’m grateful I got to know it, to share its story, and to hold it for a while. But I believe—deeply—that it needs to be where it began.
“If this feels like the closing of a circle, that makes me happy. If it feels like another chapter instead, that’s okay too. Either way, thank you for trusting me with its story, and for reminding me that some objects aren’t owned—they’re returned.”
She signed the letter“with a warm and full heart.”
I cried when I read it and contacted her immediately. Truly, angels exist among us.
I share this heartwarming story with Lisa’s permission and encourage you to seek out and honor the kind people of this world who still care about integrity. They will help you find your way. Please visit her shop https://studio706art.etsy.com and support her and all artists and small business owners who help make this world a more beautiful place.