The Wausau area includes the communities of Wausau, Kronenwetter, Mosinee, Rib Mountain, Rothschild,
Schofield and Weston. Surrounded by woods, lakes and hills, the area enjoys the fortunate combination
of big-city amenities and the look and feel of a small town.
Notable Features
Where It All Began
Population
Mosinee – Since 1836, trappers and explorers had called the area Little Bull
Falls due to the loud rapids in the Wisconsin River at that place. In 1857, the first
settlers came. The Chippewa Indians had already been living there for many
years. The name was changed when the postmaster felt it was vulgar for ladies
to write such a name on their envelopes.
• Rib Mountain – 1,924 feet
• Upper Mosinee Hill – 1,605 feet
• Wisconsin River – 430 miles (18.8
miles of river plus four flowages)
• Eau Claire River – 55.1 miles (34.4
miles in Marathon County)
• Rib River – 54.4 miles (26.1 miles in
Marathon County)
• Big Eau Pleine Reservoir – 6,830 acres
• Lake DuBay – 6,700 acres
• Kronenwetter
• Mosinee
• Rib Mountain
• Rothschild
• Schofield
• Wausau
• Weston
• Metro Area Total
7,266
4,186
7,634
5,384
2,250
39,213
14,904
80,837
Marathon County Facts
• Created on February 9, 1850
• Wausau is the County Seat
• 988,848 Acres Total (the largest in WI – 1,545.1 square miles)
• 19,762 Acres of Lakes (194 lakes)
• 125,834 Total Population (10th largest in WI)
Kronenwetter – Around 1855 a native-American by the name of Keeler dug a
canal re-routing the Bull Junior Creek over a drop to power a small sawmill he
built. In 1857 a German immigrant named Sebastian Kronenwetter came to the
area and purchased the sawmill. On November 11, 1886, the township known
as Kronenwetter was established. In 2003 the township was fully incorporated
into the Village of Kronenwetter. Kronenwetter is approximately 53 square miles
in size, making it the largest village by size in the State of Wisconsin.
Rib Mountain – The Indian word for this hill was
O-pic-wan-a or O-pi-gegan-ama, which means
“rib”, “back”, or “his back”.
Rothschild – The village was founded
in 1909 when a group of businessmen
built a pulp and paper mill at this
point on the Wisconsin River. A local
recluse who lived in a nearby shack
was humorously referred to as
“Baron de Rothschild”. Some stories
claim he was given the name
because he was a member of the
Rothschild family that had run away.
Schofield – Dr. William Scholfield
started a mill here in the 1840’s. The
village later dropped the first letter “l”
from the name.
Wausau – Known by the voyageurs as Big Bulls
Falls due to the noise of the large rapids in the area,
George Stevens acquired property rights in order to use
the water for power. He built a saw mill in 1839. Settlers soon followed and
the name was changed to Wausau, which was suggested by Walter McIndoe.
It is said to mean “far away”. The Chippewa band of Native Americans may have
used the name because the place was far from their home in Canada.
Weston – Until its recent incorporation as a village, this was one of the oldest
townships in the state. It was settled in the 1840’s, due mainly to the lumber
industry’s use of the Wisconsin River which at one time ran through the village.
Park it Here!
Winter Fun
• Rib Mountain State Park
• Dells of the Eau Claire
• Marathon Park
• Nine Mile Forest
• Big Eau Pleine
• Oak and Fern Islands
• Bitzke Bird Walk
• Sunnyvale
• D.C. Everest
• Kronenwetter Forest Unit
• Leather Camp Forest Unit
• Ringle Marsh Forest Unit
• Downhill Skiing and Snowboarding at Granite Peak Ski Area
• Sylvan Hill – Longest tubing runs in Wisconsin
• 880 Miles of Snowmobile Trails
• Nine Mile Forest Recreation Area
Cross Country Ski Trails
• Indoor and Outdoor
Skating Rinks
• Snowshoe Hikes
• Ice Fishing
• Sledding
State Trails
• Mountain Bay Trail
• The Ice Age Trail
Family Fun
• Art Park at the Woodson Art Museum
• Marathon Junction
• The Wisconsin Woodchucks
• Shows at the Grand Theater
• Rothschild / Schofield Aquatic Center
• Kayak and Canoe Races
• Grand Lodge Waterpark Resort
• Water Walker Water Ski Shows
• Concerts in the Square
• Marathon County Historical Museum
• Van der Geest Dairy Farm Tour
• Pumpkin Patches and Corn Mazes
• Weston Aquatic Center
Shopping
Festivals
and Events
• Wisconsin Valley Fair
• Big Bull Falls Blues Fest
• Balloon Rally
• Artrageous Weekend
• Birds in Art Exhibit
• The Farmer’s Markets
• Jaycee’s 4th of July
Celebration
• Wausau Christmas Parade
• Mosinee Christmas Parade
• Badger State Games
• Special Olympics of Wisconsin Winter Games
• Children’s Fest
• Log Jam in Mosinee
• Snowmobile Grass Drags
• 525 Snowmobile Championships
• Wausau Marathon
• Wausau RiverFest
• Antique Steam & Gas Engine Show
• Fall Color Comet Sky Rides
• Wausau’s River District
• Wausau Center Mall
• Rib Mountain Drive Area
• Cedar Creek Mall
East Meets West
Marathon County is the largest
producer of ginseng in the
nation. In the late 1800’s farmers
supplemented their income by
harvesting wild ginseng. In the
early 1900’s the Fromm Brothers
domesticated the root and
the industry lead to the huge
increase in production. The
fields of ginseng can be easily
recognized by the shades that
cover the rows of plants.
Here are a few ginseng facts:
• 95% of the U.S. crop is grown
in Central Wisconsin
• 87% of the crop is exported
around the world, with
most going to the Far East
• The peak harvest in Wisconsin
was 2,000,000 pounds
The Arts
• Allegro Dance Theater
• Center for the Visual Arts
• Central Wisconsin
Children’s Theatre
• Central Wisconsin
School of Ballet
• Creske Theater
• Hmong Art Study Collection
• Mosinee Summer Theater
• Performing Arts Foundation
• The Grand Theater
• River District Theatre
• University of Wisconsin –
Marathon County
• Wausau Community Theatre
• Wausau Conservatory of Music
• Wausau Dance Theater
• Wausau Lyric Choir
• Wausau Symphony and Band
• Woodson Arts Museum
For more information, please
contact:
Ginseng Board of
Wisconsin
668 Maratech Avenue, Suite E
Marathon, WI 54448
715-443-2444
www.ginsengboard.com
info@ginsengboard.com
Rockin’
The State
The Anderson Brothers and Johnson
Granite Quarry is the only company that
quarries Wisconsin Ruby Red Granite,
the Wisconsin state rock. Look for the
logo to be sure it is genuine Wisconsin
Ruby Red Granite. The company started
in 1895 with the making of pavers
(paving bricks). They are famous for their
monuments, but they are also known for
their home and commercial products. In
1996 they became a part of the Michels
Pipeline Construction Company.
Top Employers of
Marathon County
• Aspirus Wausau Hospital
• Footlocker.com/ Eastbay
• Greenheck Fan Corporation
• Kolbe & Kolbe Millwork, Inc.
• Liberty Mutual Insurance
Keeping Good Companies
• Apogee/Linetec - Nation’s largest anodizing facility
• Domtar Paper & Wausau Paper – Top of the line paper
manufacturers
• Eastbay – Athletic apparel catalog and store sales
• Greenheck Fan Corporation – Manufacturer of fans for
industrial use
• Kolbe & Kolbe Millwork, Inc. – Manufacturer of designer
windows and doors
• Marathon Electric – Maker of AC/DC motors and generators
• Tropical Gardens, Inc. – Distributor and producer of tropical
plants for greenhouses in more than five states
• Wausau Insurance – The first insurance company to offer
worker’s compensation policies, now owned by Liberty
Mutual Insurance
• Wausau Window & Wall – Painted metal products
At the Center of it All!
Join visitors from all over the world who have ventured to the small community of Poniatowski
(Poy-nee-ya-tah-skee) to stand on the exact point half-way between the Equator and the North
Pole and half-way between the Greenwich Meridian and the International Date Line. The Reitbrock
Geological Marker — more commonly known as "45 x 90" — is located at 5651 Meridian Road in
Poniatowski. To become a member, sign the official 45 x 90 guest book kept at the Wausau/Central
Wisconsin Visitor Center and you’ll receive your very own commemorative medallion.
Additional Online Resources
• Wausau/Central Wisconsin Convention & Visitors Bureau
www.visitwausau.com
Marathon County
• Marathon County
• Wausau/Marathon County Chamber of Commerce
• Marathon County Public Library
• Marathon County Historical Museum
www.co.marathon.wi.us
www.wausauchamber.com
www.mcpl.us
www.marathoncountyhistory.com
Central Wisconsin Cities and Towns
• City of Mosinee
• City of Schofield
• City of Wausau
• Town of Rib Mountain
• Village of Kronenwetter
• Village of Rothschild
• Village of Weston
www.mosinee.wi.us
www.cityofschofield.org
www.ci.wausau.wi.us
www.townofribmountain.org
www.kronenwetter.org
www.rothschildwi.com
www.westonwisconsin.org
Arts and Entertainment
• Center for the Visual Arts
• The Grand Theater
• Wausau Area Events
• Wausau Community Theatre
• Wausau Symphony and Band
• Wausau Dance Theater/Central Wisconsin School of Ballet
• Wausau Conservatory of Music
• Wisconsin Woodchucks
• Woodson Art Museum
www.cvawausau.com
www.grandtheater.org
www.wausauareaevents.org
www.wausaucommunitytheatre.com
www.thewsb.com
www.dancetheatre.com
www.wausauconservatory.org
www.woodchucks.com
www.lywam.org
Local Media
• Wausau Daily Herald
• City Pages
• WAOW – ABC Affiliate
• WDEZ – 101.9 FM
• WFXS – FOX Affiliate
• WHRM – Public Television
• WIFC – 95.5 FM
• WJFW – NBC Affiliate
• WOZZ – 94.7 FM
• WSAU – 550 AM
• WSAW – CBS Affiliate
www.wausaudailyherald.com
www.thecitypages.com
www.waow.com
www.wdez.com
www.wfxsfox55.com
www.wpt.org
www.wifc.com
www.wjfw-nbc12.com
www.rock947.com
www.wsau.com
www.wsaw.com
Rib Mountain
• Granite Peak
• Rib Mountain
www.skigranitepeak.com
www.uwmc.uwc.edu/geography/ribmtn/ribmtn.htm
Hmong Culture
• Wausau Area Hmong Mutual Association
• HmongNet
www.wausauhmong.org
www.hmongnet.org
Check Out These Books
• The Romance of Wisconsin Placenames, Robert Gard & L.G. Sorden. Heartland Press, 1988.
• State of WI Blue Book, Wisconsin Legislative Reference. Wisconsin Legislature, 1999.
• The Wisconsin River: An Odyssey Through Space & Time, Richard D. Durbin. Spring Freshet Press, 1997.
• Wisconsin Heartland: The Story of Wausau and Marathon County, Michael Kronenwetter. Pendell Publishing, 1983.
• Wisconsin’s Past & Present: A Historical Atlas, The Wisconsin Cartographer’s Guild. University of Wisconsin Press, 1998-1999.
• Forever in Focus: Historic Images of the World of Wausau, Bob Geisel and Bob Becker. University of Wisconsin Press, 1998-1999.
• Wisconsin Folklore, James P. Leary. University of Wisconsin Press, 1998.
• Wisconsin: The Way We Were, Mary A. Shafer. Heartland Press, 1993.