WAUSAU – The Marathon County Historical Society will host “Wisconsin Waters: The Ancient History of Lakes, Rivers and Waterfalls” and “People You Should Know” as part of its ongoing History Speaks and History Chats events.

“Wisconsin Waters” will be held at 2 p.m. April 15. 

Scott Spoolman, author of “Wisconsin Waters: The Ancient History of Lakes, Rivers, and Waterfalls” will present “Wisconsin Waters,” exploring Wisconsin’s many waterways and how they came to be as they are today. From the Mississippi, to waterfalls near Lake Superior, to life bursting forth in one of the world’s largest freshwater marshes, these waterways each have a fascinating story to tell.

This History Speaks program is presented live at at the Woodson History Center, 410 McIndoe St., Wausau, in conjunction with the Marathon County Public Library. The presentation will be recorded and available digitally on Facebook and YouTube within a few days of the live program.

History Chats

“People You Should Know” programs will be held at 12:30 p.m. on Thursdays in April.

These are the stories of people whose names may or may not be familiar to you, but are interesting and worth learning about nonetheless.

All History Chats programs are livestreamed on YouTube and Facebook Live. They will also be available to view afterward on YouTube and Facebook and on Wausau’s public access channel 980. These programs are presented in cooperation with the Marathon County Public Library.

Mary Ann Norton

April 6

Gary Gisselman presents the story of Mary Ann Norton and her legacy as local librarian and advocate for preservation.

Anna Opdahl

April 13       

Ben Clark looks at the history of the Opdahls, one of the most notable, early Norwegian families in Marathon County—from the family business running Wausau’s Scandinavia House to the music compositions of the Opdahl daughters.

Herman Marth

April 20              

Gary Gisselman tells the story of Herman Marth, the (in)famous Socialist Chef of Wausau.         

Carl Lemke

April 27

Ben Clark takes a look at the story of the Lemke Studio in Wausau, and the kind of studio photography done by Carl and his family.

MCHS is in the Woodson History Center at 410 McIndoe St., Wausau. Exhibit and office hours are Tuesday – Friday 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Admission is free. The research library is open from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tuesday – Friday. Tours of the Yawkey House Museum are available Tuesday – Sunday. Call for times and prices.

For more information, call MCHS at 715-842-5750, email [email protected] or visit www.marathoncountyhistory.org.