Gresham: A Town
Built by the River

Do you ever wonder why cities and towns are located where they are? Think about the city you live in. Is there a river flowing through or near it? In most cases, the answer is yes. Do you know why?

In the middle 1800's, the forests in Shawano and Langlade counties were being cut down by loggers. The logs provided wood that would be used to build homes and larger buildings in the growing cities. The logs were sent down rivers to be cut into lumber at sawmills. The Red River was much smaller than the Wolf River, but it was very important during the logging period. It was crooked and had many rapids, and in order to get the logs to float over the rocks, the water level needed to be raised. To do this, many dams were built on the river.

Before this time, there were no towns along the Red River. The towns of Mattoon and Gresham did not exist. When loggers built dams on the river, people were needed to work there. Small communities began to grow as the men who worked at the dams brought their families to live nearby.

After the logging period ended, many of the dams were no longer needed and they were torn down. As this happened, the people who lived and worked there moved away. The town of Gresham remained. In 1907, the Wisconsin Northern Railroad built a line of tracks that ran through Gresham. What was once just a small clearing in the woods began to grow into the community that it is today.

Without the Red River running through it, Gresham might not have grown into a town. Throughout history, rivers have served very important purposes. They provided water for bathing and cooking. For many years, boats on the river were the only mode of transportation. Can you think of a town in Wisconsin that doesn't have a lake, stream or river flowing nearby?

Source: Whitehouse, J., A History of the Wolf River and Its Pioneers. 1947.