Marathon County Forestry Department

About forestry service, 54454, Milladore, WI, US, Wisconsin

Wausau ( WAH-sah or Wə-sə) is a city in Marathon County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the Wisconsin River in central Wisconsin and had a population of 39,994 at the 2020 census. The Wausau metropolitan statistical area, consisting solely of Marathon County, had a population of 138,013. The Wausau area was inhabited by various indigenous peoples, including the Ojibwe. It was settled by European immigrants in the mid-19th century and developed as a lumbering center due to its access to pine forests and river transport. Cultural and recreational attractions in Wausau include the Grand Theater, Granite Peak Ski Area, Rib Mountain State Park, Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, and the Wisconsin River. == History == === Establishment and early history === This area has for millennia changed hands between various indigenous peoples. The Ojibwe (also known in the United States as the Chippewa) occupied it in the period of European encounter. They had a lucrative fur trade for decades with French colonists and French Canadians. After the French and Indian War this trade was dominated by British-American trappers from the eastern seaboard.