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History Near the Big Eau Pleine River sits the Village of Stratford, Wisconsin, first settled by lumbermen Robert and W.D. Conner who originally came to Wisconsin from Stratford, Ontario, and later named the town. Stratford began as a "company town", a direct result of the Connor Co. The Connors built the Connor Company Store and added a post office around 1891-92. They also built a boarding house to meet early housing needs. As Connor built homes, the workers' families moved to Stratford and the village grew. The early area settlers were generally those who planned to farm. The earliest settlers in the village proper were millworkers who moved into the company homes. As early as 1892 other businesses were being established--such as the Connor store, post office, hotel, two taverns, five houses and the depot for the Milwaukee Lake Shore and Western Railroad that was built from Marshfield to Wausau in 1891. Most buildings at this time were set in timber, with no streets, just trails. The stumps in the streets weren't removed until 1893! By 1909, the population of Stratford was around 800; by now a school had been built, and a bank incorporated, with blacksmith shops, Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist and Presbyterian churches. Electric lights and the telephone were available; also a brass band. As a result of these economic signs of progress, Stratford was incorporated as a village on May 6, 1910. Between 1900 and the 1940's, cheese factories sprang up beside the rivers and streams. Today, the Stratford Equity Livestock Sales has become one of the largest cattle shipping operations in the county. In 1974 the Ken and Richard Leick Farm on Highway 97 was chosen as the site of the Wisconsin Farm Progress Days. The town also became known for mobile home manufacturing including Harmac, Northstar and Westbrook Homes. The most prominent home builder, Stratford Homes, is still located in the village. The community of Stratford also dedicated a new library in 1994 as part of the Marathon County Library system. Modeled after the former railroad depot, the library had been housed in several community buildings since 1930. Stratford looks to the future with optimism. As the village water towers state: Stratford is on the move!
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