Birnamwood

Birnamwood 719

Birnamwood 841

Birnamwood, Wisconsin, is located on US Highway 45 about 20 miles east of Wausau in Marathon and Shawano counties. Quoting The Romance of Wisconsin Place Names:

In 1881 the North Shore Railroad reached what is now the southern limits of Birnamwood. One of the railroad officials, accompanied by his son, a college student, rode to the end of the line in a caboose. Large piles of brush were burning along the right of way and the official's son left the caboose to explore. A large blanket-wrapped Indian was watching the flames, and the young man said, "Heap big fire." The Indian answered, "Heap big burn-em-wood." The young man, a Shakespeare student, quoted,

"Macbeth shall never vanquished be, until

Great Birnamwood to high Dunsinane hill

Shall come against him."

What a great name for a town, he thought. He convinced his father and the name Birnamwood was marked on the map. The name was officially adopted in 1884 when the first permanent sawmills were built.

A romantic story indeed.