Its Register listing is the IRIS (Shipwreck). Most of Wausaukee was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1987. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1911 on, and the census since 1930.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Wausaukee is more historic than 42% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Wausaukee’s overall grade.
Wisconsin towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Wisconsin town has 3.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Wausaukee’s 8.9 sits above most of its state (75% of Wisconsin towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±2.1 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: our sources. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Wausaukee’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wausaukee is an Ojibwe word meaning 'distant land' (< wassa 'distant' + aki 'land'), or a Menominee word that means 'river among the hills'. The town was started in 1863 by John S. Monroe, who bought 160 acres of land from business tycoon Lars Kovala and built a mill to supply the railroads with lumber for bridges and culverts. His first building was a log cabin home that was also used to board the mill workers. As the town grew and more settlers moved in, his log cabin grew into an inn that was the only public eating establishment north of Green Bay.
On August 19, 2011, at 4:45pm, an EF1 tornado struck Wausaukee. One fatality was recorded.
Wausaukee is more historic than 42% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Wausaukee?
One place: the IRIS (Shipwreck) (listed 2006).
How old are the homes in Wausaukee?
4% of Wausaukee’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.1 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1987.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (6), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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