Westboro celebrates 150th anniversary of its founding

Wisconsin is rich with history, its citizens honoring the past and gifting valued traditions to the next generation. It’s the same reason that town halls and libraries are decorated with photos captured decades ago, pictures depicting early settlers hunting or hauling logs standing sentinel as town boards and community groups make plans that will influence the future of the very same regions. In some special places you can almost feel the mingling of past and present, places where last names that came off ships or rode in wagons centuries ago can still be heard in kindergarten classrooms when teachers take roll call.

The little town of Westboro knows exactly what it means to celebrate tradition while embracing the future.

Before those settlers ever arrived, the region was made up of dense forests dominated by old growth. Trees like white pine, maple, and hemlock coated the landscape, their fallen branches and logs creating habitat for a rich population of wildlife. Herds of elk and deer were abundant, and the many wetlands and creeks supported waterfowl and species of fish the area is still known for.

The landscape provided everything needed to survive and flourish, and Native American tribes like the Ojibwe made the region their home. They connected with the land spiritually; they didn’t own it, but they cared for it together with other tribes that sometimes shared the space, like the Menominee, Potawatomi, and Dakota.

Treaties in the 1800’s pushed the native tribes out, often under pressure or by dishonest means. Settlers from Germany, Norway and Poland arrived in the mid-1800’s, bringing with them the logging boom that shaped early Taylor County. The older pine trees made for prime building material and soon small farms, sawmills and cabins dotted the territory. They crafted rough roads to keep them all connected; life was hard, and isolated, and there were many times that they depended on one another to survive the harsh winters.

In the late 1800’s the railroad came to the county with a spur between Chelsea and Rib Lake opening up more commerce to Westboro. Wisconsin Central Railroad transported Westboro’s logs and processed lumber to populated areas like Milwaukee and Chicago, and passenger and freight cars moved people and goods from place to place. It’s likely that the Wisconsin Central Railroad helped to give the town its name as it was known to christen its stations after Massachusetts towns, like the Boston suburb of Westborough.

It was on September 30, 1875 that the town was officially established by Taylor County, and on April 3 the following year Westboro held its first election at C.C. Palmer’s hotel. A.E. Harder, one of the first to settle in the town, was voted town chairman and Joseph Norton its supervisor. Other important positions would have been filled, such as a clerk, treasurer and constable.

The early 1900’s arrived and by then Westboro boasted a school, church, a few boarding houses, such as the Campbell House, and a general store owned by John Duncan who also owned a sawmill. The town had a newspaper, the “Westboro Herald,” which was published for the next 30 years or so. The community was tight-knit, bonded by the shared experience of life in a hardly-domesticated frontier. The community worked hard, and logging still ruled the roost. Forests were peppered with logging camps comprised of men and teams of horses who hauled logs throughout the year. Farming was also a major way of life and homesteaders raised dairy cattle and grew potatoes, oats, and hay.

The logging boom eventually slowed, and while farming continued to be a staple in the region the town would have also seen small-scale industry by way of creameries and blacksmiths, who would have been the first to start repairing early machinery before mechanics became prevalent. Westboro slowly transformed from a rustic logging hub to a slower, more modern community.

The construction of the Mondeaux Dam Recreation Area was a significant milestone for Westboro. The dam was built between 1936 and 1938 thanks to two federal programs meant to provide more resources to the public after the Great Depression. By the time the 1950’s rolled around, the dam had established itself as a recreational hotspot, lending to a reputation for outdoor activities that Westboro is still known for today.

In addition to the dam, the Pine Line Trail is another attraction for outdoor enthusiasts. Made from the bones of the former railway that was once a lifeline for the town, it now knows another purpose. It’s frequented in the warmer months by hikers, bicyclists and horseback riders, and in the winter it’s a snowmobiler’s dream.

Like most small, rural Wisconsin towns, Westboro has learned to adapt to survive. The school that once raised the area’s children is no longer as consolidation took them to Rib Lake. Many of the businesses that were booming in Westboro’s early days have given way to new ventures, like Bottoms Up Pub and Grub, and We Grow, and Camp Forest Springs.

And while some things change, some things stay the same. Westboro’s occupants share the same forging spirit as the town’s original settlers; their adaptability and pride in the community is inherited, passed down just like the traditions that they work so hard to keep and instill in their own loved ones. They raise their children with the same values as their predecessors, teaching them resilience, and how to look out for themselves and their neighbors.

And they honor the choices and sacrifices made by the people in the photos standing watch over their gatherings by maintaining their legacy of togetherness. They do this by celebrating their history, and by devoting their time and energy to Westboro’s next chapter. That chapter begins this weekend, July 26 and 27, as the town comes together to salute the past 150 years of grit, perseverance, and ingenuity.

They’re still here. And they’re not going anywhere.