Donald, Wisconsin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Donald, Wisconsin
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 Donald, Wisconsin
Location in Wisconsin
Donald, Wisconsin
Location in the United States
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  Wisconsin |
| County | Taylor |
| Elevation | 366 m (1,201 ft) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| Area code(s) | 715 & 534 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1564049 |
Donald is a small, quiet place in Taylor County, Wisconsin, United States. It's known as an unincorporated community, which means it's not officially a town or city with its own government. It's almost like a ghost town today. You can find Donald where the Canadian National Railway crosses County Highway M.
The Story of Donald
Donald started way back in 1903. A company called Fountain-Campbell Lumber Company built a big sawmill there. This sawmill was right next to a railway line, which was super important for moving wood. The community got its name from Donald Campbell, whose dad was the president of the lumber company. Before that, people called the spot Fountain Spur.
Life in Early Donald
When the sawmill was busy, Donald was a lively place. Many workers lived in a special boarding house. In 1904, Donald even got its own post office! Around 1905, another railway company, Wisconsin Central Railway, built a new line. This line crossed the first one in Donald and went all the way to Superior. Today, this line is part of the Canadian National Railway.
The first railway, often called the Omaha, even used a box car as Donald's train station. As more people moved in, Donald grew to have its own school and a church.
Donald's Decline
However, Donald's busy times didn't last forever. Around 1916, most of the trees near Donald had been cut down. Because of this, the Fountain-Campbell company closed its sawmill in Donald. They moved it to a different place where there were still plenty of trees.
When the sawmill left, Donald started to shrink. The Omaha Railroad stopped running trains in the late 1930s, and its tracks were removed. The post office in Donald closed in 1942. Today, in 2023, only a few homes remain, and the Canadian National Railway still runs through the area.
Images for kids
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Fountain-Campbell Lumber Company in operation, 1909
