Marathon County Forestry Department

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

Wausau ( WAW-saw) is a city in Marathon County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located along the Wisconsin River and had a population of 39,994 as of the 2020 census. It is the core city of the Wausau metropolitan area, which includes all of Marathon County and had a population of 138,013 in 2020. The city's suburbs include Schofield, Weston, Mosinee, Maine, Rib Mountain, Kronenwetter, and Rothschild. == History == === Establishment and early history === This area has for millennia changed hands between various indigenous peoples. The historic 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. The Wisconsin River first drew European-American settlers to the area during the mid-19th century as they migrated west into the Great Lakes region following construction of the Erie Canal in New York State. This provided a route for products from the region to the large New York and other eastern markets.