Much of the Library's online collection is hosted by Recollection Wisconsin and some links will open there. The South Wood Historical Museum also has an extensive collection of digital resources, available via their Collections and Publications drop-down menus.
Top Resources
The Tom Taylor Book, also known as 100 Years of Pictorial & Descriptive History of Wisconsin Rapids by T.A. Tayor [1934-1939]. Taylor gathered over 400 photographs and then wrote a book providing details about them. He also included a history of the city and a timeline of events through 1939.
- Taylor images - Images from the book are housed at Recollection Wisconsin, fully described and accompanied by the text from the Taylor Book.
- Taylor Portraits - Many of the Taylor Book portraits are posted on Flickr.
- Taylor Street Scenes and Buildings - Many of the Taylor photographs depicting street scenes and buildings are also available on Flickr.
Lumber Rafting - The rafting of sawn lumber to market was once a common practice, especially on the Wisconsin River. We have gathered a variety of resources about this forgotten chapter in Wisconsin's history.
- Raftsman's View of the Wisconsin River. This booklet is the core of the Lumber Rafting resource and is also available through Flickr.
Malcolm Rosholt Collection. Malcolm Rosholt was a journalist in pre-WWII China, an intelligence officer for the Flying Tigers and the author of works on lumbering, railroads and pioneer times, focused on central Wisconsin. With his family's permission, eleven of his books about Wisconsin history, long out of print, have been digitized.
Rural Schools - A map of all the rural schools in Wood County, compiled from plat books and school histories.
ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Wisconsin Collection - Full scans of historical newspapers from Wisconsin, including the Rapids Tribune (under various names) from 1890 until almost the present day, accessible with your McMillan library card.
City Directories
- Bellis' Twin city directory, 1892 - Centralia / Grand Rapids
- Grand Rapids city directory 1905-06
- Grand Rapids directory 1911-12
- Grand Rapids city directory [1913-14]
- Wisconsin Rapids directory [1921]
- Wright's Wisconsin Rapids city directory 1930
High School Graduates
- John Edwards High School, Port Edwards, Graduates, 1934-2002
- Nekoosa High School Graduates, 1914-2002
- Pittsville High School Graduates, 1960-2002
- Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln High School Graduates, 1909-2009. A more complete book of alumni is available for in-house use only.
- Wisconsin Rapids Assumption High School Graduates, 1955-2002
Indexes
- Wisconsin Rapids Newspaper Index. Before 1907, Wisconsin did not require the registration of births, deaths or marriages. This index lists all birth, deaths and marriages mentioned in the various pre-1907 Wisconsin Rapids area newspapers, with the exception of the Wisconsin Valley Leader. Names A-C, Names D-H, Names I-M, Names N-R, Names S-Z.
- Wisconsin Valley Leader (1902-1906). An index to births, deaths and marriages noted in this newspaper. This supplements the above resource.
- 1928 Wood Co. Plat Book Index. A township by township index to an early plat book.
- Index to the Works of David Engel. A combined index to the eight works of local history by Engel. A-L, M-Z.
- Index to Elsie's World War II Scrapbook. Clippings from the Marshfield News-Herald listing service members' activities. The entire book is available.
- Wood County Lists (various miscellaneous lists).
- WIGenWeb Wood County (many small lists), including pre-1907 births.
- Marshfield Public Library Index covers births, deaths and marriages reported in Marshfield newspapers.
- Central Wisconsin Obituary Index and Portage County Cemetery Locator.
Library History
- Centennial story, 1890-1990 : McMillan Memorial Library, Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. Alice McCaul Hayward's history of the McMillan Memorial Library.
- 125 years of Public Library Service. A brochure prepared in 2015 for the 125th anniversary of library service in South Wood County.
- Five Libraries - McMillan Memorial Library moved to its current location in 1970, but the Library pre-dates the city's name change from Grand Rapids to Wisconsin Rapids (1920) and even the merging of Centralia and Grand Rapids (1900). A Google map shows the four locations the Library has occupied and the West Side Branch. For more complete information about the Library's history, see Centennial story, 1890-1990 by Alice McCaul Hayward.
- Rules and Regulations of the T. B. Scott Free Public Library [pre-1920]. The rules for using the Library in what was definitely a different time. There is also a version that was approved in 1891.
- J.D. Witter Traveling Libraries. Information about the Witter Traveling Libraries, collections of books that were moved to 49 stations in Wood County between 1896 and 1947.
Local Authors - Located on its own page
Local Genealogy - Located on its own page
- AncestryPlus provides access to more than 4,000 databases, including census data, passenger lists, the Social Security Death Index, and much more. Only available in-library.
Maps, Plat Books & Farm Directories - Located on its own page
On-Line Books
Wisconsin Rapids
- Consolidated Water Power Company [1994]. History of the people, places and events that made up the consolidation of the water powers at Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin.
- Grand Rapids [1907]. A promotional look at the community of Grand (later Wisconsin) Rapids.
- The Twin cities (pre-1920). A pictorial souvenir of Grand Rapids and Centralia.
- Who's who in Wisconsin Rapids. A series of biographies published in the Wisconsin Rapids Tribune 1920-1922.
Wood County / Central Wisconsin
- History of Wood County, Wis.; [1923]. The only major work about the county, with histories of every city, village and township and over 500 pages of biographies.
- Elsie's World War II Scrapbook. Clippings from the Marshfield News-Herald listing service members' activities. Best used with the Index to Elsie's World War II Scrapbook.
- Along the Wisconsin River [1907]. Information about the cities of the Wisconsin River Valley, from Rhinelander to Portage, with a focus on commerce.
- Art work of the Wisconsin River Valley [1901]. Artistic photographs of the upper Wisconsin.
- Central Wisconsin's railroads : past and future [1981]. Ray Specht's survey of area railroads.
- Cranberry culture on a western plan [1891]. History, tips for growers and recipes from the dawn of Wisconsin's cranberry industry by Augustus Carey.
- History of Company "A" 127th Infantry, 64th Brigade, 32nd Division [1919]. Chronicling Marshfield's contribution to WWI.
- Milladore centennial, 1870-1970. The illustrated centennial booklet from the Village of Milladore.
- Wood County place names [1970]. Robert Rudolph's compilation of the origins of local place names. This item is covered by copyright and available courtesy of the University of Wisconsin Press.
Other On-Line Books
- As you were : a book of memories as told by the men who lived through them. A compilation of personal narratives from the members of the Badger State Chapter of the 82nd Airborne Division Association.
- Our county, our story; Portage County, Wisconsin.
Pamphlets, Articles and Lists
- Carbonic Safety system: refrigeration. A booklet promoting the American Carbonic Machinery Company, which manufactured refrigeration equipment in Wisconsin Rapids between 1907 and 1931.
- Historical Highlights, 1855 - 1967, Riverview Hospital. A booklet covering the medical history of the area.
- Official Historical Program - Wood County Centennial, August 5-11, 1956. Includes a detailed cast listing for "Centurama: From Trees to Triumph" and histories of local communities. For a shorter listing of events, see this brochure.
- The Spirit of the Wisconsin River. On September 30, October 1 - 2, 1926, the City of Wisconsin Rapids presented a pageant titled "The Spirit of the Wisconsin River." The three hour play was written and directed by Professor H.P. Boody of Ripon College, produced by Mrs. Estella H. Farrish and featured a cast of 300. It was held in celebration of the new Lincoln High School athletic field.
- The Garden of Memory: A Pageant of Colonial Days On September 1-2, 1927, a grand pageant titled "Garden of Memories" was presented in Wisconsin Rapids. The theatrical performance was written and directed by Professor H.P. Boody of Ripon College, produced by Mrs. Estella H. Farrish and featured a 32 member orchestra, a 94 member chorus and over 200 actors.
- A short history of Wisconsin Rapids. Written in 1936 and updated sometime in the 1950s.
- Wisconsin Rapids Area. (1972) A pamphlet compiled by the League of Women Voters in 1972, listing the advantages of Wisconsin Rapids.
- Wisconsin Rapids bridge history. [1955] A history of the bridges that have united our community.
- Wood County parks in the making, 1935-1951. A booklet describing how north and south county parks were started and developed.
Photographs & Postcards
- Taylor Book Photographs. Volume I of the Tom Taylor Book contained over 400 photographs, which are all described in Volume II. Also available as :
- Taylor Photographs - Most of the images from the book are housed at Recollection Wisconsin, fully described and accompanied by the text from the Taylor Book.
- Taylor Google Map - Many of the photographs from the Taylor Book are geo-located on this Google Map mashup.
- Taylor Portraits - Many of the Taylor Book portraits are posted on Flickr.
- Taylor Street Scenes and Buildings - Many of the Taylor photographs depicting street scenes and buildings are also available on Flickr.
- Postcards (Young Collection) . Over 75 historic postcards, many of them local, geo-located on this map.
- Vesper Photograph Collection. An annotated photo album of Vesper compiled by Marlys Steckler.
- Miscellaneous Photographs. Images and photographs that do not fit in any of the above collections.
- Postcards of Wisconsin Dells - Vintage cards of Fort Dells and other sites.
About McMillan's Digital Collections
- Local History in E-Books and on the Web : One library's experience as example and model by Don Litzer and Andy Barnett. (from the Spring 2004 Reference and Users Services Quarterly). A peer reviewed article analyzing the value and impact of digitized local historical documents.
Permissions
Unless otherwise noted, our on-line collections are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0. This allows private, educational and non-commercial use with attribution. Contact the Library to obtain permission for other uses.