Cato (community), Wisconsin

Cato is an unincorporated community located in the town of Cato, Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, United States. Cato is located on U.S. Route 10 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Whitelaw. U.S. Route 10 also forced the razing of much of downtown Cato.

Cato, Wisconsin
Unincorporated community
Downtown Cato
Cato, Wisconsin Cato, Wisconsin
Coordinates: 44°08′34″N 87°51′40″W
Country	United States
State	Wisconsin
County	Manitowoc
Elevation	260 m (850 ft)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code(s)	920
GNIS feature ID	1562813[1]

The sign for Cato

Cato Post Office and General Store

History

Cato was originally known as Nettle Hills due to the abundant itchy weed before being renamed after a settler's hometown, Cato, New York.[2] As a station along a train line from Manitowoc to Forest Junction, Cato averaged 8 trains a day. A school existed from the 1900s to 1930s and a Presbyterian church from then to the 1960s. The post office lasted for 128 years.

In 1992, a project to improve U.S. 10 required the purchase of the townsite and much of the downtown buildings to be razed, thus resulting in historical buildings to come down.[2]

References

1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Cato (community), Wisconsin
2. Fochs, Rhonda (2017). Wisconsin's Lost Towns. Clearwater, Minnesota: North Star Press. p. 151. ISBN 1-68201-058-9.