Wood County Courthouse on 2014-08-02
Wood County is located in central Wisconsin. It was created in 1856 from land that had previously been part of Portage County. The legislation creating the new county was introduced in the State Assembly by Joseph Wood and his fellow legislators named the new county after him.
Wisconsin Rapids is the county seat. Prior to 1920 the city was called Grand Rapids, but was renamed in 1920 to prevent confusion with the more widely known city of Grand Rapids in Michigan. Grand Rapids (Wisconsin) was formed from two communities: Centralia on the west side of the Wisconsin River and Grand Rapids on the east side. Before the European settlement, native Americans called the area “Ahdawagam” which means “Two-sided Rapids.”
The current Wood County courthouse was built in 1955. It is located at 400 Market Street in Wisconsin Rapids, just a block or two from the Wisconsin River. I visited in August 2014 just after some road construction was completed in front of the courthouse; I’m not sure what exactly was done, but I suspect that the roundabout intersection was brand new.
My only real tie to Wood County is that one of my cousins and his wife are teachers in the city of Nekoosa, which is a few miles southwest of Wisconsin Rapids and also on the Wisconsin River. Most years I travel to Nekoosa on the first Saturday in August to visit my cousin and his family and take part in the Swiftwater Fun Run. The run is a fund raising event for the Nekoosa high school boys and girls cross country teams. I usually do the 5 mile mile run; the course is out and back (with a loop) along the Wisconsin River and is fast because there are no hills. There is also a 2 mile run and a 5 mile relay event.