Wisconsin is known for its stunning natural and historical scenery, but it also hides a secret history that includes a forgotten hamlet with its own lost legends.
Ulao’s Ascent and Decline
Ulao was founded in the middle of the 1800s by the enterprising William F. Opitz, and it prospered thanks to Lake Michigan and the forestry business. Ulao became an important port in Ozaukee County when Opitz carefully developed the town’s streets and plots with the help of two land surveyors. The town grew and included a general shop, hotel, post office, school, church, and other enterprises in addition to a train station that connected it to Milwaukee and Chicago.
For many years, Ulao was a prosperous place that drew immigrants from Germany, Ireland, and other countries. The town was well-known for producing cheese, fish, and lumber. It also had a thriving social life, attracting people from other towns with dances, picnics, fairs, and other events.
But Ulao’s success turned out to be fleeting. By the late 1800s, Ulao was not as important to the railroad as Port Washington was, and the harbor was no longer suited for big ships due to the lake’s retreat. The population of the town decreased as residents moved elsewhere in search of better possibilities. Ulao was all but abandoned at the turn of the 20th century.
Ulao’s Remainder
Ulao is now little more than a ghost town, a shadow of its former splendor. The general store, which was converted to a private dwelling in the 1930s, is the only surviving building. There have been collapses, fires, or demolitions of other town buildings. Once serving as the final resting place for early settlers, the cemetery is now overgrown and in disrepair. A faded sign along Highway 32 bears the town’s name in weak letters.
Ulao offers a moving window into Wisconsin’s past as one of the numerous deserted locations in the state. It tells the story of life and death, prosperity and decline, hope and despair—a location that is sometimes disregarded yet may merit more attention.
