Business Boomed at Big Bull Falls

Business Boomed at Big Bull Falls. . The earliest American settlers were drawn to Big Bull Falls for the timber business, but other businesses soon sprouted. Lumbermen and their families needed supplies and services. Soon after George Stevens built the first sawmill Wausau began to grow. , [photo captions] , N. B. Thayer built a grist mill here in 1845. This was an ideal location for a mill, because a water wheel in the mighty Wisconsin River could generate power and streets and other businesses were nearby. Farmers could drop off their grain and shop for supplies while they were in town. , Courtesy of Marathon County Historical Society, Wausau, Wisconsin. , Since Wausau had grown so much in the 125 years since the original grist mill was built, the center of town was no longer a good place for the mill. The business moved and the mill was torn down in 1970. , Courtesy of Marathon County Historical Society, Wausau, Wisconsin. , Curtis Co. lumberyard, c. 1885. , In 1881, Cornelius S. Curtis started a window and door factory here. He was joined by S. M. Yale in 1883. Until 1962, Plant #1 of the Curtis and Yale Sash and Door Co. stood across the river from where you are standing. The company was a world leader in making window and door frames, blinds, hardwood flooring, molding, and other wood products for interior decorating. , Curtis and Yale, Inc. was the largest employer in Wausau in 1912. The factory closed in 1962, and more than 600 people lost their jobs. , Courtesy of Marathon County Historical Society, Wausau, Wisconsin. , Curtis Co. Pant #1 in 1925. The Curtis and Yale factories in Wausau grew to cover more than 30 acres. , Courtesy of Marathon County Historical Society, Wausau, Wisconsin. , Catalog from the 1950s. , Courtesy of Marathon County Historical Society, Wausau, Wisconsin. , [logos of] River Edge Parkway . Welcome Home Wausau