Travel Back in Time to Wausau

The central Wisconsin city of Wausau with a population of 40,000 people is the home of the Central Wisconsin Digitization Project and Marathon County Public Library (MCPL), where several of today’s images can be found. Thanks also to Marquette University Raynor Memorial Libraries and UW Digital Collections for contributing images! The area now known as Wausau was originally the home of the Ojibwe people. European settlers, first French and then German, began to arrive in the mid 19th century, drawn by the lucrative fur trade and lumber industry along the mighty Wisconsin River. The city continued to grow and became the home of many Hmong immigrants after the Vietnam War in the 1970s. Hmong people still make up the largest ethnic minority in the city. Today, Wausau boasts a culturally diverse and vibrant scene, charming downtown, historical museum and society, and much more! Check out the Central Wisconsin Digitization Project.

Wausau Junction, ca. 1950-1959. A small depot and telegraph office stood at Wausau Junction, crossing of the C&NW and CMSt.P&P south of Wausau.
Wausau Junction, ca. 1950-1959. A small depot and telegraph office stood at Wausau Junction, crossing of the C&NW and CMSt.P&P south of Wausau.
Wisconsin River at Wausau (undated), taken from Barker-Stewart Island, showing the river lined with sawmills.
Wisconsin River at Wausau (undated), taken from Barker-Stewart Island, showing the river lined with sawmills.
Wausau premiere of "Crazy Legs," ca. 1953. A large crowd of people wait outside a theater in Wausau, Wisconsin for the world premiere of the film "Crazy Legs.
Wausau premiere of “Crazy Legs,” ca. 1953. A large crowd of people wait outside a theater in Wausau, Wisconsin for the world premiere of the film “Crazy Legs.
Street car tracks, Grand Ave., Wausau, ca. 1920-1929. Double tracked lines of the Wausau Street Railway, looking north along Grand Ave. toward St. Mary's Church. Two trolleys are in distance.
Streetcar tracks, Grand Ave., Wausau, ca. 1920-1929. Double tracked lines of the Wausau Street Railway, looking north along Grand Ave. toward St. Mary’s Church. Two trolleys are in distance.
1912 Wisconsin River flood at Wausau. Looking south with Wausau City Hall in background at devastation from 1912 Wisconsin River flood.
1912 Wisconsin River flood at Wausau. Looking south with Wausau City Hall in background at devastation from 1912 Wisconsin River flood.
Maple syrup production, April 1954. Pouring sap into gathering tank at George Rakow's sugarbush near Wausau.
Maple syrup production, April 1954. Pouring sap into gathering tank at George Rakow’s sugarbush near Wausau.
Library Park, 1910, Wausau Public Library. Black and white photograph shows Carnegie building in large park with young trees.
Library Park, 1910, Wausau Public Library. Black and white photograph shows Carnegie building in large park with young trees.
Wausau Liederkranz members pose and enjoy beers at a Wisconsin Maennerchor gathering, 1913.
Governor Thompson participating in a Hmong custom during meeting with Hmong community leaders; City of Wausau; Marathon County; Wisconsin; August 24, 1998. Event was part of 1998 Moving State Government tour of central Wisconsin.