Donald, Wisconsin | |
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  Donald, Wisconsin  Donald, Wisconsin | |
| Coordinates: 45°15′09″N 90°53′49″W / 45.25250°N 90.89694°W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Wisconsin |
| County | Taylor |
| Elevation | 366 m (1,201 ft) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| Area code(s) | 715 & 534 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1564049[1] |
Donald is an unincorporated community located in the town of Pershing, Taylor County, Wisconsin, United States,[1] where the Canadian National Railway crosses County Highway M.
History[edit]
Donald was founded in 1903,[2] where the Fountain-Campbell Lumber Company built a sawmill on the Eau Claire, Chippewa Falls, and Northeastern Railway (a.k.a. the Omaha).[3] The community was named for Donald Campbell, the son of the president of Fountain-Campbell. Before that, the spot was called Fountain Spur, for the other principal of that company.[2]
A post office was established at Donald in 1904, and remained in operation until it was discontinued in 1942.[4] Around 1905 the J.S. Owen Company built a line for the Wisconsin Central Railway heading northwest for Superior - now part of the Canadian National Railway.[5] Donald grew to boast a school and a church.[6]
But after the local timber was depleted, the sawmill shut down. The Omaha Railroad stopped running in the late 1930s and track was pulled up.[7] Since then Donald has gradually withered until in 2023 only a few homes and the Canadian National remain.
Notes[edit]
- ^ a b "Donald, Wisconsin". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- ^ a b Chicago and North Western Railway Company (1908). A History of the Origin of the Place Names Connected with the Chicago & North Western and Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railways. p. 173.
- ^ Rosholt, Malcolm (1982). Lumbermen on the Chippewa. Rosholt, Wisc.: Rosholt House. p. 250.
- ^ "Taylor County". Jim Forte Postal History. Retrieved April 3, 2015.
- ^ Rusch, Robert P. (September 22, 2013). "The Twelve Railroads of Taylor County, Wisconsin". In Kalmon, Lars (ed.). Our Home - Taylor County Wisconsin - volume 2. Taylor County History Project. p. 15.
- ^ "St. Joseph's Catholic Parish". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
- ^ Rusch, Robert P. (September 22, 2013). "The Twelve Railroads of Taylor County, Wisconsin". In Kalmon, Lars (ed.). Our Home - Taylor County Wisconsin - volume 2. Taylor County History Project. p. 14.
Municipalities and communities of Taylor County, Wisconsin, United States | ||
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| City |  | |
| Villages | ||
| Towns | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost town | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |