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 | |
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![]() Downtown Cato | |
Coordinates: 44°08′34″N 87°51′40″W / 44.14278°N 87.86111°W | |
Country | ![]() |
State | ![]() |
County | Manitowoc |
Elevation | 260 m (850 ft) |
Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
Area code | 920 |
GNIS feature ID | 1562813[1] |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e0/Cato_Wisconsin_Sign_Looking_North.jpg/220px-Cato_Wisconsin_Sign_Looking_North.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/84/VIEW_OF_FRONT%2C_FACING_NORTHEAST_-_Cato_Post_Office_and_General_Store%2C_13806-13810_U.S._Highway_10%2C_Cato%2C_Manitowoc_County%2C_WI_HABS_WIS%2C36-CATO%2C1-1.tif/lossy-page1-220px-VIEW_OF_FRONT%2C_FACING_NORTHEAST_-_Cato_Post_Office_and_General_Store%2C_13806-13810_U.S._Highway_10%2C_Cato%2C_Manitowoc_County%2C_WI_HABS_WIS%2C36-CATO%2C1-1.tif.jpg)
History
editCato 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 coming down.[2]
References
edit- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Cato (community), Wisconsin
- ^ a b Fochs, Rhonda (2017). Wisconsin's Lost Towns. Clearwater, Minnesota: North Star Press. p. 151. ISBN 1-68201-058-9.