WOODVILLE, WI – The once busy streets on which Ole Jensen “King of Brookville” strode over half a century ago are now deserted. And the hotels, post office, sawmills, and livery stable are gone from the one-time stagecoach stop, four miles south of here (Woodville.) Dunn County News, May 31, 1961
The town of Brookville was another lumber boom town that sprouted up in the mid 1800’s. With the stagecoach main turnpike road running from Hudson to Menomonie as its main street, stretching more than a mile east through the town, the community boasted a healthy population. While the area was originally pioneered by English, many Norwegians began to populate the area and the “Yankee’s” as they were called, moved further west.
According to “History of the St. Croix Valley, Volume 2,” published in 1909, Eau Galle Township (consisting of Wildwood and Brookville) was one of the first in the county to be settled. In the early days, the entire township was known as Brookville. In 1854, a post office was established with William Holman named as the first Postmaster. In the same year, he opened the first sawmill. Holman is credited as being the second person to locate to Brookville, the first being a hunter and trapper named Brock. After logging began on the Eau Galle, many others came to Brookville, including the “King of Brookville.”
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