Ulao, Wisconsin
Encyclopedia
Ulao, Wisconsin, is an unincorporated community in the Town of Grafton
in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin
. It is located at the intersection of Ulao Road and the old Chicago and Northwestern
railroad running from Milwaukee
to Green Bay
. Today, I-43
runs a few hundred feet to the west of the town. Ulao Creek
runs through the community.
, was the town of Port Ulao, which was founded in 1847 by James T. Gifford, an investor from Elgin, Illinois
. Gifford began a business of selling wood to steamships heading down the lake, and built a 1000-foot wooden pier into the lake for ships to dock. He then constructed a chute down the side of a steep bluff to transport logs that farmers in the area produced while clearing land.
The same year, Gifford was granted a charter by the territorial legislature
to build a plank road from Port Ulao west to the Wisconsin River
. Only three miles of it were actually built, but this turnpike, now known as Ulao Road, became the basis of today's Highway 60
.
In 1862, the Latter Day Saints visited Ulao.
Grafton (town), Wisconsin
Grafton is a town in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 4,132 at the 2000 census. The Town of Grafton is located about twenty miles north of downtown Milwaukee on the shore of Lake Michigan. It is east of the Village of Grafton and Town of Cedarburg, south of the Town of...
in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
. It is located at the intersection of Ulao Road and the old Chicago and Northwestern
Chicago and North Western Railway
The Chicago and North Western Transportation Company was a Class I railroad in the Midwest United States. It was also known as the North Western. The railroad operated more than of track as of the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states before retrenchment in the late 1970s...
railroad running from Milwaukee
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
to Green Bay
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay is a city in and the county seat of Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, located at the head of Green Bay, a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It has an elevation of above sea level and is located north of Milwaukee. As of the 2010 United States Census,...
. Today, I-43
Interstate 43
Interstate 43 is a intrastate Interstate Highway located entirely within the U.S. state of Wisconsin, connecting Interstate 39 and Interstate 90 in Beloit with Milwaukee and U.S. Route 41 and U.S. Route 141 in Green Bay. I-43 is the 5th longest intrastate Interstate Highway of the Interstate...
runs a few hundred feet to the west of the town. Ulao Creek
Ulao Creek
Ulao Creek is a tributary of the Milwaukee River in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. It begins in a swampy area south of Port Washington in the town of Grafton and flows south through Ulao. It roughly parallels Interstate 43 before crossing to the west of the freeway just south of...
runs through the community.
History
Just to the east of Ulao, on the shore of Lake MichiganLake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
, was the town of Port Ulao, which was founded in 1847 by James T. Gifford, an investor from Elgin, Illinois
Elgin, Illinois
Elgin is a city in northern Illinois located roughly northwest of Chicago on the Fox River. Most of Elgin lies within Kane County, Illinois, with a portion in Cook County, Illinois...
. Gifford began a business of selling wood to steamships heading down the lake, and built a 1000-foot wooden pier into the lake for ships to dock. He then constructed a chute down the side of a steep bluff to transport logs that farmers in the area produced while clearing land.
The same year, Gifford was granted a charter by the territorial legislature
Wisconsin Territory
The Territory of Wisconsin was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 3, 1836, until May 29, 1848, when an eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Wisconsin...
to build a plank road from Port Ulao west to the Wisconsin River
Wisconsin River
-External links:* * * , Wisconsin Historical Society* * * *...
. Only three miles of it were actually built, but this turnpike, now known as Ulao Road, became the basis of today's Highway 60
Highway 60 (Wisconsin)
State Trunk Highway 60 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It runs east–west in southern Wisconsin from the town of Grafton on Lake Michigan, to Prairie du Chien on the Mississippi River at the Iowa state line....
.
In 1862, the Latter Day Saints visited Ulao.
Notable residents
- Charles Guiteau, assassin of President James GarfieldJames GarfieldJames Abram Garfield served as the 20th President of the United States, after completing nine consecutive terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. Garfield's accomplishments as President included a controversial resurgence of Presidential authority above Senatorial courtesy in executive...
, was James Gifford's nephew and lived in Ulao from 1850 to 1855.
External links
- Hewitt, Jill "History and Origin of Port "Ulao". From the Ulao Creek Partnership