Stratford, WI

Stratford began in the hardwood and pine country of western Marathon County, where logging operations followed the Big Eau Pleine and Little Eau Pleine rivers. When the proposed Wausau-to-Marshfield railroad drew the Connor family's attention, Robert and W.D. Connor built a band saw mill and brought workers from their earlier lumber operation. They named the settlement after Stratford, Ontario, in 1891; the first lumber shipments left in 1892, and a store with a post office followed. The village now sits at State Highways 97 and 153, with parks, schools, utilities, and village departments laid over the old mill town. The Stratford Area Historical Society keeps the story at the museum in Klemme Park, the former American Legion clubhouse, and the village also maintains its own parks and facilities. Stratford's map still makes sense as a place that started with timber, a rail connection, and two roads out into the county.