Tourist Office
Rosholt Elementary School
Rosholt, Wisconsin, USA

Rosholt Village History

Rosholt originally began as part of Town 25 North in the 1800’s. A man named J. G. Rosholt operated a sawmill in Hitterdal. He moved his business and machinery to Town 25 North. There he made a deal with Jens Rasmussen, who owned a feedmill, to share the water rights on the South Branch of the Little Wolf River. Jen Rasmussen was the first farmer Rosholt. His house was just southeast of the first sawmill. In 1892, Jens P.Hanson Jr. opened a business on the south end of main street.. Rasmus Jorgensen started a small store in the late 1880s. Another store, closer to the sawmill, was opened by Adolph Torgerson at about the same time. A post office was added to the Jens P. Hanson store on main street on March 2, 1893. The people had to come up with a name for the settlement. None of the names thought of seemed to fit. Finally, the townspeople decided to name the town Rosholt, after J. G. Rosholt. In Town 25 North, J. G. Rosholt continued to invest in timber. Then buildings were beginning to pop up around the sawmill. Additions were added onto the sawmill. Business was great. On September, 1901, the mill burned to the ground. Poor Mr. Rosholt did not have insurance on the lumber or the mill. A larger mill was built in 1901-02 on the south shore of the pond just below the ice house. That mill burned between 1907 and 1908 and was rebuilt sometime in 1908. On April 7, 1908 the election of the officers for the village was held. J. G. Rosholt was elected President. The first car in Rosholt was a buick. It was purchased by J.G. Rosholt in the spring of 1908 in Oshkosh. A power house was built in 1912 by J.G. Rosholt to furnish electric power for the village from a water turbine. On November 19, 1921, a bank was opened for inspection. Some of the other buildings there were the creamery, blacksmith , shop, a shoemaker, a couple of grocery stores, a feed mill, a millinery shop, harness shop, and ‘‘Hanson House’’, which was a hotel. This little community was very busy. More than a dozen men were employed at the mill! Dancing at each other’s houses was something most people enjoyed. Parties and various events were held at the ‘‘Red Hall’’.In 1947 many records were lost in a fire. Rosholt had a few weekly newspapers. The first newspaper was the Rosholt Echo, then the Rosholt Journal. Ross C. Woodhead in 1921 started a newspaper and ran it for a few years under the name of Rosholt Review. 

Interview with the Rosholt Village President

We interviewed Mrs. Norma Anderson, president of the Rosholt Village Board, to ask her questions about Rosholt. Here are some of our questions and her answers.

• 1. What are some big events in Rosholt that happen during the year?
  There is the Rosholt fair, the Thresheree, fireworks, and the Rosholt Fair Parade.

• 2. What can you tell us about the Rosholt fair parade?
  The parade takes place the first Saturday in September. People come from all over the county and some people come from other counties. It is a very big parade and there are judges for the best float. There are usually around 45 floats in the parade. The Rosholt High School band leads the parade.

• 3. What are some main businesses in Rosholt.
  There are about 30 businesses in Rosholt. Some of the big ones are the new car dealer and a Harley Davidson motorcycle dealer. We have a public library, a post office, and a fire station.

• 4. What can you tell us about the Thresheree?
  At the Rosholt Thresheree, farmers come to show each other their old fashioned tractors and there are many events. The Thresheree has been going on for about 15 years now and there are new tractors and old tractors. There is also a tractor pull in which tractors pull heavy weights and can win trophies for pulling the farthest . The pedal pull is for little children who have small tractors with pedals to ride on. They race against each other and also win prizes.