Title: City of Abbotsford (P68-12-41-3N)
Location:

Description: Photograph from negative of an Abbotsford street scene showing people, horses and wagons on a dirt main street. The photo was taken by James M. Colby, a popular Wausau based photographer. While there ...

Title: City of Colby
Location:

Description: This photograph shows the Colby depot, a perfect representation of the town’s namesake. Following the Civil War, the U. S. government decided a railroad was needed from Menasha to Lake Superior. Con...

Title: City of Marshfield (P75-1036-30N)
Location:

Description: Photograph from glass negative in James M. Colby’s collection of Main Street scene in Marshfield, Wisconsin. This photograph shows cars lined up and down Main Street, and while the photo is not date...

Title: City of Mosinee (P75-1034-8)
Location:

Description: This is a photograph of Main Street in Mosinee, taken by James M. Colby, a popular Wausau based photographer. This photograph shows cars and horse drawn wagons lined up and down a dirt covered Main St...

Title: City of Schofield (2021-16-5)
Location:

Description: This is a photograph of Main Street in Schofield, taken by James M. Colby, a popular Wausau based photographer. The photograph shows storefronts, horse-drawn wagons, and a trolley pulling up to people...

Title: City of Wausau (P69-36-3)
Location:

Description: A photograph of downtown Wausau, at 3rd Street 400 block Westside, from Scott Street. Looking south on the far left is Mayer's Shoes, then McClellan’s "5 to $1" Store, and Mint Cafe moving...

Title: Town of Bergen (2014-23-5)
Location:

Description: This is a photograph of a bridge in the unincorporated community of Moon in the Town of Bergen on the Eau Pleine Reservoir. We are unsure of exactly when the photo was taken because the photo itself i...

Title: Town of Berlin (LM2007-162-4)
Location:

Description: Photograph of the Trinity Lutheran Church dedication in 1896, in the town of Berlin, Marathon County, Wisconsin. Ed Fromm is pictured, who is part of the Fromm Brothers Fur and Ginseng Farm in Maratho...

Title: Town of Bern
Location:

Description: This is a photograph of a lumbering operation in the town of Bern, Wisconsin. It is a snowy winter lumber camp with four men with tools, standing next to two work horses. The photograph also shows fou...

Title: Town of Bevent (P2005-76-6a)
Location:

Description: A photograph of the County Line School in Bevent, Wisconsin. According to the 1943 Marathon County Schools Map Joint District #4 County Line School was located in Section 33, Township 26 N, and 9E. It...

Title: Town of Brighton (P68-26-1B)
Location:

Description: Photograph of a threshing scene on the old Ferdinand Gripentrog farm, off of Route 1, in the town of Brighton, Wisconsin. While the photograph does not have a specified date the threshing machine date...

Title: Town of Cassel
Location:

Description: The only two communities in the original township of Cassel were the eastern portion of Edgar and the western portion of Marathon City. This town was originally part of the Town of Marathon, but when ...

Title: Town of Cleveland
Location:

Description: Cleveland Township was formed out of part of Mosinee Township in 1884 and named for the recently elected President of the United States, Grover Cleveland. The photo above is of the local church in Cle...

Title: Town of Day (P2005-76-16a)
Location:

Description: A photograph of McKinley School, town of Day, Marathon County, Wisconsin. According to the 1943 Marathon County Schools map Joint District #5, McKinley School was located in Section 13, Township 26 N,...

Title: Town of Easton (2015-2-3-23)
Location:

Description: This is a postcard photograph of Echo Grocery in the town of Easton, Marathon County, Wisconsin. On the back of the postcard there is a note that reads, "Larson Stores in Echo Corner-north of the...

Title: Town of Eau Pleine (P2005-76-22a)
Location:

Description: A photograph of Lindbergh School in the town of Eau Pleine, Marathon County, Wisconsin. According to the 1943 Marathon County Schools map District #5, Lindbergh School was located in section 9, Townsh...

Title: Town of Elderon (P56-2722)
Location:

Description: This is a photograph of a scene at Comet River in Elderon, Wisconsin, with three men along banks. Written on the back of the photograph is the names of the men identifying them as, Mr. Cannaday, Mr. C...

Title: Town of Emmet (P2005-76-24a)
Location:

Description: This photograph is of Ludington School in the town of Emmet, Wisconsin. According to the 1943 Marathon County Schools Map, District #1 Ludington School was located in section 15, Township 27 N, Range ...

Title: Town of Frankfort (P1999-47)
Location:

Description: This is a photograph of the Hamann-Eggebrecht Sawmill in about 1874. It was the first stationary sawmill in the town of Frankfort, Wisconsin. The photograph includes the following people posed in fron...

Title: Town of Franzen (P2004-175)
Location:

Description: This is a photograph of a Mohr-Stotzer Lumber Co. Sawmill in Holt, an unincorporated community in Franzen, Wisconsin. The photograph shows men with several teams of horses hauling sawn and prepared lu...

Title: Town of Green Valley
Location:

Description: Photograph of the Week’s sawmill in the town of Green Valley, Wisconsin. The Week's sawmill was the primary mill in Green Valley in the mid-to-late 1800s, only to burn down in 1880. The Farrish logg...

Title: Town of Guenther
Location:

Description: This photograph shows the Little Eau Claire School in the town of Guenther, Marathon County, Wisconsin. According to the 1943 Marathon County Schools map, District #2, Little Eau Claire School was lo...

Title: Town of Halsey
Location:

Description: Unemployed coal miners from Pennsylvania and other settlers from the Milwaukee area moved to this area to work in the woods and sawmills and later, as the land was cleared, to go into farming. Pennsyl...

Title: Town of Hamburg (P75-6054-6)
Location:

Description: A photograph of several silver foxes gathered together on the Fromm Bros. Ginseng and Fur Farm located in Hamburg, Wisconsin. Fromm's Fur Farm & Ginseng Gardens - the first Ginseng gardens were pl...

Title: Town of Hewitt (P2005-76-42A)
Location:

Description: This is a photograph of the McMynn School in the town of Hewitt, established in 1909. According to the 1943 Marathon County Schools map, District #5, McMynn School was located in section 20, Township ...

Title: Town of Harrison (P86-799)
Location:

Description: This is a photograph of two young boys holding two horses in the Swanson farm field in the town of Harrison, Wisconsin. After most of the trees had been logged in the early days of Harrison, eventuall...

Title: Town of Holton
Location:

Description: George W. Holeton, born July 9, 1840, and a Civil War veteran, settled in the area with his family in October 1871, and is considered the first white settler; he also helped to establish the first sch...

Title: Town of Hull
Location:

Description: The photograph shows the dense forest wilderness around the town of Hull, Wisconsin. Prior to 1870, most of Hull, and other western Marathon County towns, were forest wilderness. In 1870, the Wisconsi...

Title: Town of Johnson
Location:

Description: The photograph shows school #2, Section 11, Ladd School in Johnson, Wisconsin. An exterior view of the school in 1920 showed a frame building with porch, including a class of children and their teach...

Title: Town of Knowlton (P68-12-213-1170N)
Location:

Description: A photograph from James M. Colby’s original negatives of "The Old Tavern” in Knowlton, Wisconsin, built in 1849. In the photograph there is a sign on the front of the building that reads &quo...

Title: Town of Maine (P57-3270-1)
Location:

Description: A photograph mounted on heavy cardboard of eleven men on or near farm machinery. Horses are pulling machinery and an old tractor. Writing on the cardboard mount reads, "Steidmans threshing outf...

Title: Town of McMillan (P67-22-1)
Location:

Description: This is a photograph of the McMillan Sawmill in the town of McMillan, Wisconsin. Two brothers, Benjamin Franklin and Charles V. McMillan came to the area in 1873 from Unity to build a sawmill, which t...

Title: Town of Marathon
Location:

Description: This picture dated 1949 is the Woodlawn School in the Town of Marathon, Marathon County, WI. According to the 1943 Marathon County School Map Joint District #6 Woodlawn School was located in section 1...

Title: Town of Mosinee
Location:

Description: This is a photograph of Oleson School, located in Section 3 of the town of Mosinee, Wisconsin. The photograph is of a class of children and their teacher in front of the school for their yearly photo....

Title: Town of Norrie (P68-12-12-4N)
Location:

Description: This is a photograph of “Go-To-It” Lake in Norrie, Wisconsin. This particular photograph was taken by James M. Colby, a popular Wausau based photographer, and is a glass plate negative belonging t...

Title: Town of Plover (2022-67-38)
Location:

Description: This is a photograph of the Eau Claire Dells County Park in the Town of Plover, Marathon County, Wisconsin. The photograph shows a view of some of the people viewing from the rocks, the rock formation...

Title: Town of Reid
Location:

Description: The local Reid schoolhouse and its pupils in the 1930s, out-front taking their yearly class photograph. The photograph was taken in the spring, the snow is melting and several children have ridden the...

Title: Town of Rib Falls (P2003-163-10A)
Location:

Description: This photograph shows the Wausau Lumber Co. Store with a sign that reads, “Sharples Tabular Cream Separators”, on the left of building. The building was still standing in June 2004, and is located...

Title: Town of Rib Mountain
Location:

Description: The above photo shows the Rib Mountain Ski Hill circa 1910, before being rebranded as Granite Peak in 2000. In the mid-right frame is the Ski Chalet, with Rib Mountain Ski Hill in the background, and ...

Title: Town of Rietbrock
Location:

Description: In search of rich farmland, the first settlers, being of Polish nationality, bought land from local Fred Rietbrock, became lumberjacks, worked in the sawmill of Rietbrock, cleared the land, and starte...

Title: Town of Ringle (P2002-257)
Location:

Description: The photograph shows a man out in front of a blacksmith shop holding two hammers and another man standing with a team of horses. The shop belongs to R. Hettinga and was located on the Main Street of R...

Title: Town of Spencer (P68-12-311)
Location:

Description: It has been said that the railroad and lumber mills gave Spencer its beginning, but it was the hard-working farmers that kept it going after the mill owners moved north. This can be seen in the above ...

Title: Town of Stettin (P90-382)
Location:

Description: A photograph of people outside enjoying the nice weather at the Mount View Sanatorium. In 1919, Mount View Sanatorium was established to treat those in the county diagnosed with the contagious disease...

Title: Town of Texas (P87-1190)
Location:

Description: Originally, the Town of Texas was the largest in the county, thus being the reasoning behind the name. Its present borders were established on December 19, 1894.Two farmers living in the Town of Texa...

Title: Town of Wausau (Aviation Collection 08-21-01)
Location:

Description: This photograph shows John P. Wood & Grace Prahl, the king and queen of Wausau’s Winter Festival, in front of the Yawkey House during the late 1920s. John P. Wood was a famous pilot during the 1...

Title: Town of Weston (P69-4-1)
Location:

Description: This photograph shows the picnic grounds at Yellow Banks on the Eau Claire River, in the Town of Weston, near Camp Sturtevant. In the photo there is a canoe on the river with a man, woman and two chil...

Title: Town of Wien (P81-336-1)
Location:

Description: The above photograph shows the three-tine fork at work, feeding bundles into the grain separator. The photograph was titled “Old Time Threshing” on the Kurt Umnus farm in the town of Wien, Wiscons...

Title: Village of Athens (2012-50-1-P)
Location:

Description: A photograph of the fair in Athens, Wisconsin, c. 1911-1913. This fair is a staple in the village of Athens, Wisconsin, and a tradition that has yet to cease. The Athens Fair has seen its 118th summer...

Title: Village of Birnamwood (P95-361)
Location:

Description: This is a photograph of the German Lutheran Church in Birnamwood, Wisconsin, constructed in the early 1900s. This photograph is from a postcard sent by Frank D. Selma in Birnamwood to Mrs. Frank Genri...

Title: Village of Brokaw (P87-1151)
Location:

Description: Brokaw was the site of the first paper mill in Marathon County. The Wausau Paper Mills Company was formed in 1899 with Norman H. Brokaw of Kaukauna being one of the stockholders and the first presiden...

Title: Village of Dorchester (2018-111-1)
Location:

Description: This photograph shows a street view of the Sauter Bros. Farm Implements & Coal store in Dorchester, Wisconsin, c. 1949. At the Sauter Bros. store they sell and repair farm equipment, feed, coal, ...

Title: Village of Edgar (P56-1726-1&2)
Location:

Description: The above photo shows the exterior of the H. Brehm Tavern and Boarding House and was taken by the popular Wausau photographer, James M. Colby. There is not an exact date on the photograph but knowing ...

Title: Village of Elderon (P68-12-11)
Location:

Description: In this photograph several framed buildings can be seen, including a real estate agency and other businesses located on the Main Street of the Village of Elderon, Wisconsin. Although this photo does n...

Title: Village of Fenwood (P68-12-2)
Location:

Description: This photograph of Fenwood, Wisconsin, shows Grand Avenue covered in logs and timbered wood. The surrounding area includes acres of heavily timbered woods and forests, which were quickly lumbered and ...

Title: Village of Hatley (P88-384)
Location:

Description: Once one community, the Village of Hatley broke away when the Town of Norrie voted to be alcohol free. This motivated the Hatley area residents to form their own non-dry village. The above photo show...

Title: Village of Marathon (P68-2-57)
Location:

Description: The above photo is of Main Street in Marathon, Wisconsin, taken James M. Colby, a prominent Wausau photographer. There is not an exact date on the photograph but knowing when James M. Colby was most a...

Title: Village of Rothschild (P57-2900-1)
Location:

Description: This photograph is of the Rothschild Saloon owned by W.M. Schmidt in the Village of Rothschild, Wisconsin. There are three children posed with a goat, and three dogs, a man with a team of horses, anot...

Title: Village of Spencer (P68-12-213-1144N)
Location:

Description: The above photograph shows the Wisconsin Central Depot in Spencer, Wisconsin. This photograph was taken by James M. Colby, a prominent photographer in Wausau, Wisconsin, and used as a postcard photo. ...

Title: Village of Stratford (P87-1495)
Location:

Description: This photograph shows a steam hauler named “Rosie”, owned by the R. Connor Company in Stratford, Wisconsin. “Rosie” was used in the summer months for hauling logs. Unfortunately, the steam hau...

Title: Village of Unity (2017-2-8-10)
Location:

Description: The above photo is “A Glimpse of Main Street, Unity, Wisconsin”, taken by James M. Colby, a prominent photographer in Wausau, Wisconsin. This photograph was used on a local postcard for the town o...

Title: Village of Weston (P-86-1597)
Location:

Description: In the Village of Weston stock raising was profitable, especially the dairy industry. The above is a photograph of a man in front of the Weston Dairy in Weston, Wisconsin, c. 1950s. This was a local d...