The written story of Branch begins with Edward Lenaville, an entrepreneur who walked from Green Bay and came to Branch in the early 1830s. To earn money, he worked at Jacob Conroe’s sawmill in the newly formed Manitowoc Rapids community. He returned to the Branch area and bought 100 acres of land and worked to build the community and attract residents. With the assistance of Conroe’s mill, a bridge was constructed over the Branch River for “1,500 feet of lumber at $7 per thousand”. The community soon became known as Lenaville.

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