Most outsiders may recognize Wausau, Wisconsin as the place with that big insurance company. These national commercials helped put Wausau on the map, through Wausau insurance.

But to truly understand the area's background, you must first look into the earliest years of the city.

"It really began in 1839 when George Stevens came to set up a sawmill, a dam, and a guard lock," says Mary Jane Hettinga, director Marathon County Historical Society.

And so the history of Wausau begins, but it really wasn't Wausau at all. Its original name was Big Bull Falls, said to come from settlers following the rushing noise of the Wisconsin River.

Along side the river, the land was made up of rich soil and miles and miles of white pine trees. Those trees would begin one of the biggest industries to first hit the Wausau area, lumbering. This 1914 film, titled the lumberjack, was shot in Wausau, and depicts the lumber yards and their importance during this time.

"Then in 1850, a man by the name of Walter McIndoe settled here and renamed the town to Wausau," says Hettinga.

McIndoe along with other community members wanted to change the area's name because they didn't think big bull falls was sophisticated enough.

"Wausau is a Chippewa name meaning a place you can see far away from," Hettinga adds.

With the boom of the pineries came the fall of the industry when many of the trees were cut down. The end of that era became what historians call the true birth of the town.

"A group of men led by Cyrus Yawkey wanted to settle here, they knew they'd have to invest their own money," tells Hettinga.

And that's exactly what Yawkey and his men did. They began the area's papermills, Wausau Insurance Company, and the major utility providers still around today.

At that time, a large percent of Wausau’s population was of German decent.

August Kickbusch took the title, in 1872, of Wausau’s first mayor. He had a big hand in getting people to plant their roots in Wausau.

It was also during this time when the first school was formed. Named simply, White School, it was a small white building that sat on Fifth Street behind where the performing arts center is today.

At the turn of the century, Wausau’s downtown really started to take shape.

"We had some of the finest buildings that were built," Hettinga remembers.

There was the center for visual arts developed in 1907, the Landmark Hotel in the late 1920s, and one of the most historical buildings, the Grand Theatre, built in 1927.

"When you went downtown, you knew everyone, you knew the shopkeeper, it was a wonderful cohesive town," she says.

As the city's development continued, Wausau’s first landed its airport in 1927, when two local brothers responded to the community's need for modern transportation.

More than 30 years later, one of the areas most distinctive landmarks was torn down, the 400 block courthouse.

Costs were too high and developers wanted to continue building newer, more up-to-date landmarks.

"The city has recognized the value of history and we are seeing a lot of buildings restored," Hettinga says.

The restoration process really hit its high point in the late 1990s; buildings from the Grand Theatre to the areas oldest building to date, found on the corner of Third and Scott Street, were redeveloped.

Quite a lot has changed in the nearly 200 years of Wausau’s history. We're continuing to see a growth in business and industry, as well as a growing rich, vibrant downtown area.

Historians believe Wausau’s earliest settlers would be surprised.

"I think they would be flabbergasted, just like we would be if we looked forward 200 years," says Hettinga.

Our very own news channel seven was also a big part of Wausau’s history. We were the very first television station to hit the airwaves back in 1954. And the celebration of that golden anniversary is at the heart of your town Wausau.