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Wausau, Township of

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Author:
Mary Moltzan

Location:
T. 29 N. - R. 8 E.

Formallized:
November 12, 1856

Background:

Population: 1905 -1,998 plus part of City of Wausau; 2000 - 2,214 plus part of City of Wausau.

The township reached its present size in 1890 and included  the City of Wausau. As the city incorporated more area, the unincorporated area shrunk. Earliest settlers in the township east of the City of Wausau were Carl Kunz and  Frederick Schmutzler, followed by Fred Dumdei, and George and Martin Reinhard. Growth was slow until after the Civil War because the land wasn't considered "good" farm land. (See Farming).

For information on the City of Wausau, see Wausau, City of

For information on Sunset, see Easton, Village of

First Public Official:
L. Doolittle

Post Office Established:
May 4, 1850

First Postmaster:
Charles Shuter

About The Post Office:

The P.O. is still in existance and located in the City of Wausau, T. 29 N., R. 7 E.

 See also Village of Nutterville.

Churches:

1. Holy Trinity Church, a German Evangelical Lutheran church, was organized by Reverand Hudtloff in about 1870.

Schools:

According to Marchetti, in 1913, there were five schools in the Town; one near Nutterville was a solid brick building with a state graded school.

By 1943, there were at least seven schools listed including:

District 1, Highland Grove School, Section 29

District 3, Colverbelt School, Section 28

District 7, Hillgrove School, Section 29

Business:

Creamery and a cheese factory.

Fur business - either to process dead or disabled animals for mink or fox feed or to run fox farms with the intention of selling the pelts.

See Village of Nutterville

Industry:

Paul Seymour operated a sawmill, which was erected in the late 1800's. He did a lot of custom sawing for local farmers, giving them a nearby source of lumber and an outlet for their surplus logs.

See Village of Nutterville

Farming:

The first German farmers in the Town of Wausau appeared in about 1859 and were Carl Kunz and Frederick Schmutzler, followed by Fred Dumdei, and George and Martin Reinhard.  Farming was slow to develop in the township. Most newcomers moved west of the Wisconsin River to existing farm settlements that had what was considered "better" farm land. By the late 1860's, farm fairs held in the area proved that the soil was pretty much equal throughout the county.

Mechanics Ridge Settlement was probably the first farm settlement, started among  the mechanics and millwrights who worked in the lumber mills.   Following logging roads and trails, many moved northeast from the city and started homesteads along the ridges from Wausau to Nutterville.  By the 1850s, so many had moved out along what is now State Hwy. 52 that the area became known as Mechanics Ridge. It stretched over several miles.  As the lumber era began coming to an end in the early 1870s, many of the mill workers became farmers or sold out to newly-arriving German immigrants.  James W. Nutter was one who remained on his land.