Much of Wausau’s southeast side exists on a sort of
peninsula, created along the long curve of the Wisconsin
River. By the 1860s, this area was recognized for its fine
cropland and a number of farmers settled their families
in the area. Even though it was apart from the city
center, the area was chosen in the late 1800s by
Marathon County government as an ideal place to
establish several health institutions, a county-run
nursing home and hospital, a “poor farm,” and an
asylum for the chronically insane.
Wausau’s continued expansion southward spilled into
the peninsula, along a side road known as Sturgeon
Eddy. For years, people referred to this part of the
Wisconsin River by the water feature known as
Sturgeon Eddy because there was an actual eddy,
or circular whirlpool running against the current.
Changes to the river over the years eliminated the
challenging water feature, but the name held with
Sturgeon Eddy Road. It would be the major access
point to the area’s first residential neighborhood,
established in 1901 with Johnson’s Addition.
The construction of an electric streetcar line from
Wausau to Schofield in 1906 helped further develop
Wausau’s southeast neighborhood. With accessible
public transportation by trolley and new land opened
to development, the neighborhood expanded to include
new homes beyond the initial Johnson’s Addition. Before
long, the neighborhood was established enough that it
became a destination in its own right. John Marshall
Elementary School was built in 1923, Memorial Hospital
(later called Wausau Hospital South) was constructed
in 1924, and in 1926 Alexander Municipal Airport was
established.
