History of Rome Timeline
November 18, 1857: Town of Rome was established.
1931: Gunner Reben, Ingvar “Ole” Arneson, and Ingmar Ignmarson, form what became known as the Tri-Norse Ski Club.
1932: First ski jumping competition held at Tri-Norse Ski Club.
1940s: Lake Petenwell was created by the Wisconsin River Power Co.
1960s: N.E. Isaacson created the first man-made lake, which became known as Lake Sherwood.
1970s: Formal Town of Rome Police and Fire Department formed.
1975: Lake Camelot was created by the Isaacson Firm shortly after Lake Sherwood.
1975: The construction of the first nine holes at The Pines Course at Lake Arrowhead.
“Summer of 1975 visiting Nancy's Mom and Dad at their cottage in Rome, WI fairways were bulldozed at Lake Arrowhead and someone had fashioned a sign at the first tee. Nancy just picked up a long curved stick and pretended to swing. I caught this photo.” Submitted by Steve Brandt
1975: The Shermalot Ski Team was formed. Now, the Shermalot Show Team is the third longest continuous running water ski show in the State of Wisconsin and holds a deep heritage of competitive show skiing.
1976: Pritzl’s Corner Mart opens.
A much smaller version of today’s store, had narrow aisles, merchandise stacked to the ceilings, and the only employees were family members.” Submitted by Lori Pritzl-O’Keefe
1978: Inaugural Rome Sno-Bandits Snowmobile Club Meeting.
1982: Dyracuse Recreational Park opened.
1984: The last man-made lake, Lake Arrowhead, took shape.
June 5, 1984: Rome’s first library was formally opened in the Rome Town Hall. It was open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:00am-3:00pm during summer.
1985: The second nine holes added at the Pines at Lake Arrowhead.
1990: The Nekoosa Port Edwards State Bank opened the Rome “Lakes Branch”.
1998: The second eighteen hole course opens for play: The Lakes at Lake Arrowhead.
May 25, 2001: Groundbreaking on Rome’s new modern library - The Lester Library of Rome.
December 7, 2001: The Lester Library of Rome formally opened.
2006: Room to Roam Dog Park opened. In an open forum asking community members what they wanted to see, someone answered “a dog park - dogs need to socialize too!” In March of 2006, the plan came to life. As the group was completing the second half of fencing, Dr. David Wickersham, the Halverson’s local vet, came walking over the hill to inspect the project. Along with the donation came the naming rights, and “Room To Roam” was open seven days later.
July 16, 2013: New shooting complex of Wisconsin Trapshooting Association opened on the first day of the 2013 State Shoot.
2015: D.R.A.F.T. (Discover Rome Area Family Trails) was founded by Dwight and Jane Gilbert. The volunteers are extremely passionate about their work to develop and promote safe hiking and off-road biking trails for the Town.
2016: The Eagles Guest House was established as the only Bed & Breakfast in the Town of Rome.
2016: The Town of Rome became the 96th community in the state to officially be recognized as a Bird City. Rome has annually submitted applications and received acceptance for Bird City Renewal. With this 2020 Membership Renewal, Rome joins more than 100 Bird City Wisconsin communities.
2017: Sand Valley Golf Resort opens first eighteen hole course : Sand Valley.
July 2018: Town of Rome Splash Pad opened in Rome Town Center.
2018: Papa Bear’s Mini golf opened.
2018: Mammoth Dunes and the Par-3 Course-The Sandbox-open for play.
March 2019: First edition of the Visit Rome Magazine.
July 2019: WTA 120th State Shoot set a new state record with 600,000 targets thrown in six days.
Fall of 2019: Bison Trading Company opened in the Rome Town Center.
June 2020: Sand Valley opened a new food experience, the Food Truck, that is situated by the Par-3 Course--The Sandbox.
June 13, 2020: Thanks to the efforts of our local snowmobile club - the Rome Sno-Bandits - the Town of Rome became designated as a Snowmobile Friendly Community.
August 25, 2020 : Lake Arrowhead breaks ground on their new Clubhouse construction.