Steve,
About all the creosote you've been collecting, I'll wager that once you get a clean-burning stove going there, you won't see that. If there's no poo being generated (complete combustion) there's nothing to condense in the flue.
(Some of Richard Hill's heating systems had an effluent of water and carbon dioxide.)
Just so long as the flue can be heated to establish a draft. What were they thinking with a chimney exposed on 4 sides in WI? I'd consider building an insulated chase around it, up to the exterior wall. Lotsa luck.
Happy New Year.