Country United States County Ozaukee Area code(s) 262 Elevation 210 m | State Wisconsin Time zone Central (CST) (UTC-6) GNIS feature ID 1577866 Local time Thursday 4:05 PM | |
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Weather 3°C, Wind NE at 26 km/h, 93% Humidity | ||
Ulao, Wisconsin (/juːˈleɪˌoʊ/ yoo-LAY-oh) is an unincorporated community in the Town of Grafton in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin. It is located at the intersection of Ulao Road and the old Chicago and Northwestern railroad running from Milwaukee to Green Bay. Today, I-43 runs a few hundred feet to the west of the town. Ulao Creek runs through the community.
Contents
Map of Ulao, Grafton, WI 53024, USA
History
Just to the east of Ulao, on the shore of Lake Michigan, was the hamlet of Port Ulao, which was founded in 1847 by James T. Gifford, an investor from Elgin, Illinois. Gifford began a business of selling wood to steamships heading down the lake, and built a 1000-foot wooden pier into the lake for ships to dock. He then constructed a chute down the side of a steep bluff to transport logs that farmers in the area produced while clearing land.
The same year, Gifford was granted a charter by the territorial legislature to build a plank road from Port Ulao west to the Wisconsin River. Only three miles of it were actually built, but this turnpike, now known as Ulao Road, became the basis of today's Highway 60.
Ulao contained a post office from 1850 until 1864. The origin of the name Ulao is obscure; some say it was named for a Native American chieftain, while others believe it is a corruption of a French name.
In 1856, eight members of the Latter Day Saints were forced to leave their home on Beaver Island in Lake Michigan and moved to Ulao.