The Marathon County courthouse on September 11, 2017
Marathon County was created in 1850 when Portage County was divided by the state legislature. It is named after Marathon Greece, site of the famous battle in 490 BC when the outnumbered Athenians defeated the Persians. The legend of the Greek messenger Pheidippides running to Athens with news of the victory became the inspiration for the marathon long distance race.
Marathon County is the largest county in Wisconsin, based on land area. The county seat is the city of Wausau. The city is located on the Wisconsin River which first drew European settlers to the area. In an 1836 treaty the Ojibwe tribe of Native Americans ceded most of their land in the Wausau area to the federal government, which in turn sold it to settlers. George Stevens (for whom Stevens Point in Portage County is named) founded a sawmill in Wausau in 1840, which started development in the area. With the forests and the river to power the sawmills, lumber was the first big industry in the area. In 1846 Walter D McIndoe arrived; he represented the area in the Wisconsin Assembly and in 1850 he introduced a bill to create Marathon County and change the name of the new county seat from “Big Bull Falls” to Wausau. In the Ojibwe language the word “Wausau” means far away place.
Wausau was established as a town in 1852, and became a village in 1861. Heavy immigration from Germany after the failed revolution of 1848 contributed to the growth of Wausau, which became a city in 1872. In the early 20th century, the lumber industry began to decline, but Wausau survived because it had a diversified industrial base. In particular the Employer’s Insurance of Wausau (now part of Liberty Mutual) was a key factor in keeping the area’s economy strong,
The Marathon County courthouse is located at 500 Forest Street in Wausau. I visited the courthouse on Monday September 11, 2017 on my roundabout way home form the Door County Century bike ride. It was a beautiful day and I got some nice photos of the courthouse and parts of downtown Wausau. After my walk around downtown and a brief stop in the Wausau Center indoor mall, I pondered a trip to Rib Mountain State Park but decided just to drive on home. I will go hiking at Rib Mountain on another visit!
The courthouse really has kind of an unusual look to it. It was built in the 1950s according to my source, but it does not look like a typical 1950s Wisconsin County courthouse. I kind of like; it definitely stands out in my memory.
I did notice that the main park downtown was being set up for an event. This was the First International Wisconsin Ginseng Festival which was held on September 15th through 17th. Wausau will host the festival again in 2018.
I do have some memories of Wausau and Marathon County. When I was growing up we would occasionally go through Wausau on our way to visit my grandparents in Upper Michigan. And I also remember spending the day in Wausau for a church youth group gathering. It’s a nice city and I’ve driven through it or past it many times but I’ve never really spent much time there. Or in Marathon County for that matter.