Walsh, Wisconsin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Walsh, Wisconsin
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
 Walsh, Wisconsin
Location in Wisconsin
Walsh, Wisconsin
Location in the United States
|
|
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Wisconsin |
| County | Marinette |
| Elevation | 206 m (676 ft) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| Area code(s) | 715 & 534 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1576182 |
Walsh is a small place in Marinette County, Wisconsin, United States. It is an unincorporated community, which means it's a group of homes and businesses that isn't officially a city or town with its own local government. Walsh is part of the larger town of Porterfield.
Contents
Where is Walsh Located?
Walsh is found along County Trunk Highway G. This is where it meets Bagley Road and Twin Creek Road. The area is about 676 feet (206 meters) above sea level.
You can get to Walsh by road from other nearby places. Rubys Corner is to the east, and Loomis is to the west. To the south, you can reach the community of Porterfield. The main building for the town of Porterfield, which includes its town hall and fire station, is located right in Walsh.
How Walsh Got Its Name
Walsh wasn't always called Walsh! In the 1800s, it was known as Rawnsville. This name came from the Rawn family, especially Jacob Rawn, who settled there. His family's last name was spelled in different ways over time, like Rein or Rhyne.
On July 5, 1902, the name was officially changed to Walsh. This new name honored a man named John R. Walsh. He was a very important person from Chicago. John R. Walsh started the Chicago National Bank. He also bought a big part of the Wisconsin & Michigan Railway in 1900.
A Look at Walsh's Past
Walsh has a history tied to its early days and the railway.
Early Post Office and Railway Stop
A post office first opened in Rawnsville (now Walsh) in 1881. However, it closed just a year later in 1882. It reopened in 1902 and stayed open until 1928. Walsh was an important stop on the Wisconsin & Michigan (W. & M.) Railway. It was the first stop north of Bagley Junction on the way to Iron Mountain.
The Railway's Special Tracks
The railway line through Walsh was built in 1894. What's cool is that the tracks used for this line were actually left over from the Chicago World's Fair. This big fair had closed in 1893. The railway was used to transport logs south to sawmills in Marinette and Menominee. It also carried passengers.
Gravel Mining and Construction
In the 1920s, the railway owner, John Marsch, ran a gravel pit near the W. & M. line in Walsh. This gravel pit even had its own small, narrow-gauge railway with a special type of train called a saddle tank locomotive. The gravel dug from Walsh was very useful! It was sent to Iron Mountain and used to help build the Ford Motor Company factory in nearby Kingsford. Walsh gravel also helped build U.S. Route 2 in Norway, Michigan. The railway line through Walsh stopped running in 1938. John Marsch had the tracks taken up and the trains sold.
Churches in Walsh
Walsh is home to a Catholic church, which has a cemetery nearby. There is also a Lutheran church located about 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) to the west of Walsh.
-
Catholic church
-
Catholic cemetery
-
Lutheran church
