The collection documents the origins and activities of the Wausau Area Chamber of Commerce from the establishment of the Wausau Advancement Association in 1912 to 1986, although the bulk of the collection dates from the 1960s through the 1980s. In addition to records of the Chamber itself, which comprise the majority of the documentation present, there are also minutes of the two founding organizations, the Wausau Advancement Association and the Merchants and Manufacturers Association.
The records of the Wausau Area Chamber of Commerce document the full range of its activities and interests as well as those of its many committees and a number of organizations which had similar purposes. Like the records of most chambers of commerce, the collection is an extremely valuable tool for research. It contains excellent information not only on the directions and methods of economic and tourism development, but it is also a useful source for examining this from a socioeconomic perspective. The extensive information files on individual Wausau area businesses are a particularly valuable resource for local historians.
The collection includes minutes, correspondence, articles of incorporation and bylaws, goals and objectives, membership lists, clippings and news releases, publications, scrapbooks, photographs, and financial statements. It is arranged in arranged in six series as Records of Predecessor Organizations, internal Administrative Records of the chamber, records of Related and Subsidiary Organizations, chamber Committee Files, Activity Files, and Reference Files.
Part of the collection was filmed in 1978 (Stevens Point Micro 11/Micro 690), after which the original material was returned to the chamber. Material received in 1988 included some of the earlier materials which had been filmed. In some cases it was not possible to determine if specific items had been filmed; this condition explains situations in which both original and filmed copy are present in the collection. It also accounts for the anomalous overlap in time between filmed copy and originals of the Wausau Advancement Association records and the Wausau Chamber of Commerce administrative records. Additional material filmed in 1989 consisted of activity scrapbooks. After filming, this material, which was catalogued as Stevens Point Micro 26/Micro 1164, was returned to the donor.
The records of the PREDECESSOR ORGANIZATIONS include minutes of the Wausau Advancement Association from its founding in 1912 to its 1916 merger with the Wausau Merchants and Manufacturers Association. The minutes of the Merchants and Manufacturers Association do not establish the circumstances of its origin, but they do include the resolution which changed its name to the Wausau Chamber of Commerce in 1916.
The chamber's internal ADMINISTRATIVE RECORDS consist mainly of minutes, correspondence, publications, and financial records. Smaller quantities of material include statements of goals and objectives and membership information. There is also an incomplete file of printed annual reports.
In addition to actual meeting proceedings, the microfilmed minutes sometimes include financial reports and membership lists (this is particularly true for the early period), correspondence, bylaws and articles of incorporation, committee and subsidiary council materials, secretary's reports, newspaper clippings, program reports and activity highlights, proposals and policy statements, and lists of officers. Prior to 1943 the minutes of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee are combined; after that date they are filed separately.
The administrative correspondence consists of board of directors and general categories. The general correspondence consists mainly of exchanges with individuals and companies seeking information on business opportunities in the area and commercial development. The board of directors correspondence includes memoranda concerning chamber activities, meetings, and committee plans.
The publication files include runs of newsletters (Activity Highlights, Action Report, and Momentum); “Business Barometer,” which is a compilation of data on employment, sales, real estate transfers, and business prospects; and miscellaneous brochures. Several additional publications of the chamber not included in the papers are catalogued in the Historical Society Library. The chamber's financial records include audit reports and financial statements.
The files on RELATED AND SUBSIDIARY ORGANIZATIONS include documentation of groups which had purposes similar to the chamber, but which were administratively separate. The files variously include minutes, by-laws and articles of incorporation, Xeroxed clippings and press releases, financial statements, activities highlights, and membership lists. Particularly active and/or long-standing groups include the Community Health Coordinating Council, the Downtown Business Association, the Manufacturers' Council, the Marathon County Civic Corporation, the Retail Council, and the Wausau Area Development Corporation. The Downtown Business Association files document activities to advance the downtown area. The Manufacturers' Council materials contain information on war production planning and local manpower during World War II, wartime production schedules of Wausau plants, post-war job training, and post-war production. There is also information on the council's management and human relations institutes and Business-Industry-Education days. Materials on the Marathon County Civic Corporation relate to its participation in the development and promotion of the Rib Mountain Recreation Area beginning in the 1930s. Retail Council files contain information on advertising and promotion efforts and other programs of the council to advance commerce in the Wausau area. Materials of the Wausau Area Development Corporation concern its acquisition of real estate for commercial uses and the construction of commercial buildings.
COMMITTEE FILES, which are arranged alphabetically by name, concern groups more clearly part of the chamber. The files contain minutes, correspondence, statements of purpose, clippings, and reports. Files on the Information Division, the Manufacturers and Wholesalers Division, the Retail Division, and several special committees document specialized chamber activity during its early years. Later files focus on the Agri-business Committee, the Beautification Committee, the Convention and Visitors Committee, the Fire Prevention Committee, the Health Facilities Planning Council, the Industrial Development Committee, and the Rib Mountain Committee.
ACTIVITIES FILES include correspondence, newspaper clippings, financial reports, and promotional information on annual meetings; microfilmed activities scrapbooks; photographs; and files on specific activities such as institutes, conferences, and dinners. These files variously include correspondence and memoranda, clippings and news releases, and publicity.
The REFERENCE FILES, which were compiled by chamber members and staff are arranged in two categories, businesses and subjects, both of which are alphabetically arranged. The business files concern local industries, as well as companies seeking to locate in the Wausau area. The files primarily refer to the period from the 1960s through the 1980s, although a few clippings and a microfilmed scrapbook represent the earlier period. The individual business files may contain Xeroxed newspaper clippings, correspondence, deeds, leases, and company reports. The subject files contain similar material concerning subjects, organizations, institutions, and individuals. Records on involvement with the Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce are filed here.
