HISTORY
Back in the “really old days”, native people and fur
traders paddled up and down the Wisconsin River,
portaging their canoes around the falls they called
Little Bull Falls. The falls was named for the roaring
of the river as it swept down over the rocks. The
landscape at this time was that of a huge virgin forest
with white pine so large in girth it took several men
putting their arms together to circle a single tree. In
1836, a series of events led to the opening of our
great Pinery for settlement and development.
Bull Falls. It was here that a fur trapper by the name
of Edward Conner settled.
In speaking with Joseph Dessert, Conner suggested
Mosinee as the name for the new village. Mosinee
had been one of the leaders of the Wisconsin River
Band of Chippewa that camped at Little Bull Falls as
they moved from summer to winter grounds. In the
late 1790’s, Mosinee had saved the lives of several
trappers. And so the new post office was officially
named Mosinee on July 22, 1857, and the name was
also given to the new town.
In 1839 John L. Moore was the first to utilize the
power of the river at Little Bull Falls. He built a
sawmill on the west side of the river and commenced
sawing the logs that were floated down the river to
him. Hard working men and women followed
Moore into the area to make their fortunes. A
tannery, a gristmill, and a blacksmith shop were soon
added to Mosinee’s early industries.
Main Street Mosinee, circa 1890
Joseph Dessert Sawmill circa 1890
On October 4, 1844 a man arrived at Little Bull Falls
who would shape Mosinee’s history. That man was
Joseph Dessert. Upon arriving at Little Bull Falls,
Dessert went to work at Moore’s sawmill and in his
logging camps. Dessert had no intentions of ever
staying. Yet by 1849 Dessert found himself a partner
in the sawmill. By 1856, Dessert and partners
succeeded in building a series of bridges that gave
passage over the river at Little Bull Falls. A village
was platted on the west side of the river and lots were
put up for sale. Dessert was successful in having the
post office moved to the new village and his partner
named postmaster. Now came the question, what to
call the post office and new village?
In those early days several Metis, (meaning of French
Chippewa ancestry), families had moved up the
Wisconsin to Little Bull Falls after the closing of Fort
Winnebago. These families were the descendents of
the earliest French voyagers who had traded furs up
and down the Wisconsin. The Metis families lived
on a point of land just to the north of the dam at Little
By 1866 numerous small businesses had been
established up and down Main Street, giving rise to a
strong united business district. J. R. Bruneau had
opened a grocery store; William Gilbert, a shoe shop;
Frank Beste, a saloon; Nathan Blake, a general
mercantile shop; Frank Demers, a fruit and
confectionary shop; and Alexander Erwin, a grocery
store and post office. There were many others.
These early businessmen established a long tradition
of providing support for education, religion, and
social activities in Mosinee.
Mosinee July 4th Celebration in 1916
Periodically floods swept down the Wisconsin River.
The great flood in June of 1880 swept away the
sawmill, the tannery, the gristmill, a storehouse
building, several smaller structures, and many board
feet of lumber, leaving Joseph Dessert nearly ruined.
Dessert, with the backing of the townspeople and
local businesses, held on, rebuilt, and brought the
sawmill back.
Joseph Dessert believed that an educated work force
was a better work force. Early on he began a
traveling library for his workers, buying books and
sending them around to his logging camps. In 1898
Dessert built a library out of his own funds to house
this book collection, and opened its doors to the
public. In 1906 he deeded the library over to the
citizens of Mosinee for their use not only as a library
but also as a center of culture and entertainment.
The upstairs of the library hosted plays, concerts,
community meetings, and many other events.
At the turn of the century the great stands of pines
were exhausted. Many communities simply vanished
as one by one the sawmills were forced to close their
operations. The Mosinee sawmill closed and by 1905
the saws and machinery at Mosinee had been
dismantled, sold, and hauled off. Lack of work
forced people to move away, some businesses were
forced to close. An elderly Joseph Dessert left his
beloved Mosinee to reside in Milwaukee.
Mosinee shuddered but did not go under. In 1907
surviving businesses included the stores of Hanowitz,
Worthing, Ladu and Berneir, and Robert; the state
bank of van Berg; the pharmacy of Blair; the tailor
shop of Hanus; the barber shop of Lamere; the
saloons of Beste and Blake; the tonsorial practice of
Rosine, and the local newspaper of Barker.
their buildings and content, but their homes and
personal possessions as well. Once again, the town
united with its businessmen and they set about
rebuilding the heart of Mosinee.
Building regulations were quickly adopted that
required all new buildings to be built out of brick,
and the bricklayers got to work. Storefronts were
rebuilt and the businessmen went back to serving the
needs of the people of Mosinee.
The paper mill was finished in 1911. There were two
distinct industries housed in this mill – pulp making
and papermaking. The first pulp was produced in the
first week of September 1911. The paper machines
were started up on Saturday, November 10, 1911.
Main Street Mosinee, circa 1920
With a successful industry once again in place, the
Mosinee business district flourished. Mosinee’s
future looked very bright. Once again there was a
strong industry to employ and support the families of
Mosinee, and a strong business district to provide
them their necessities and a few of the finer things in
life.
The Great Depression would strike everyone hard,
but the people of Mosinee struggled on. World War
II came and passed, with so many sacrifices by so
many. Those in Mosinee met each challenge head
on, determined that their community would survive.
1911 - The paper mill under construction.
In 1910, Louis Dessert, a nephew of Joseph Dessert,
stepped up to lay the foundation that would carry
Mosinee into the 21st century.
Pulpwood was littering the landscape. And the sharp
eyes of those such as Louis Dessert saw the potential
for papermaking. Louis Dessert convinced a group
of fellow businessmen to support the building of a
sulphate paper-making mill at Mosinee.
Construction of the paper mill began in 1910 and
Mosinee’s shopkeepers were optimistic they had
survived the worse of the economic downturn. Then,
on Tuesday evening, May 10, 1910, fire swept
through a large portion of the Mosinee downtown
business district. Several shop owners lost not only
Those who have called Mosinee home before us have
survived many hardships: flood, fire, the worst of
economies, and our nation at war. Yet all who have
come to Mosinee have worked diligently to keep this
community strong. While other communities
vanished from the map, Mosinee’s commitment to
home, local businesses, and our industry brought us
through the rough times.
Mosinee Business District, circa 1930.