This is based on a wildlife study that found Mercer had the highest concentration of common loons in the world.

In front of the Mercer Chamber of Commerce's information center, there is a 16-foot (4.9 m), 2,000-pound (910 kg) statue named "Claire de Loon."

[5] The community was probably named for Hugh Mercer, a general in the American Revolutionary War.

[6] Mercer's main industry is seasonal tourism, which is based on the large amount of undeveloped land and secluded waterways.

Summer tourism is often based on the Turtle-Flambeau Flowage and other bodies of water, such as Tank Lake (Grand Portage Lake), former home to weekly water ski shows and site of a public beach.