Oulu, Wisconsin is not found on most maps.

This Northern Wisconsin township is known as T48N-R9W in Bayfield County land and plat records and federal homestead land records. The town line borders Douglas County on the West, along with its sister Finnish township of Waino.

Whether using current internet technology or traditional print reference materials to search for information on Oulu, Wisconsin little is found.

(Until now! Webmaster)

However, there is a wealth of information about the much larger Finnish city and province. Modern Oulu, Finland is internationally recognized for leadership in science and technology. However, the American namesake is more humbly recognized for its natural beauty, the peaceful vistas and its close proximity to the greatest of the Great Lakes-Lake Superior.

For a number of years, a large rock painted with the letters O-U-L-U, located on US Highway 2, has guided visitors north to this little Northwestern Wisconsin township.

Today, it is the magnetic attraction to family roots, the search for Oulu Glass or Johnson’s Strawberries, Bluejay baseball games or curiosity about where this arrow leads that brings most visitors to Oulu.

In years past, schools, stores, abundant farms and cattle were part of the landscape. However, the present day landscape, as well as economy, have changed significantly. Modern homes, vacant farms, a few aged barns and an occasional cattle herd are what one sees when traveling the now mostly blacktopped roadways. In the 1990s, the last store closed and the last school has recently been converted to assisted living quarters.

The concern for the preservation of Oulu's heritage has prompted the organization of an Oulu Chapter of the Bayfield County Historical Society. As part of the group's long range goal to preserve Oulu's history, plans are underway for moving the original log home from the Pudas homestead in section 8 to land adjacent to the Palo Homestead site. A proposed museum would then house Oulu area artifacts and provide displays and interpretation of early life in Oulu.

For more information on Oulu and Finns in Wisconsin:

Pudas, Ed. "Fifty Years of Public School System In Town of Oulu." Unpublished manuscript written in mid-50s.
Sunnyside Homemakers. "Historical Sketches of the Town of Oulu, Bayfield County Wisconsin 1889-1956 "(Revised 1976)
Zeimer, W. G., Zeimer, Anna, Lavin, Bernice (editors). "Town of Tripp: 50 Years (1911-1961.)"

Websites :
Oulu Historical Society web site: ouluwis.us
Old World Wisconsin: www.wisconsinhistory.org/oww/