Editing Stevens Point, Wisconsin (section)

==History==
Historically part of the [[Menominee]] homelands, a three-mile strip along the [[Wisconsin River]] was ceded to the United States in an 1836 treaty. In 1854 the Menominee made its last treaty with the U.S., gathering on a reservation on the [[Wolf River, Langlade County, Wisconsin|Wolf River]]. In the Menominee language it is called ''Pasīpahkīhnen'' which means "It juts out as land" or "point of land".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www4.uwsp.edu/museum/menomineeClans/places/chart.aspx|title=Menominee Place Names in Wisconsin|last=Hoffman|first=Mike|website=The Menominee Clans Story|access-date=October 6, 2018}}</ref>

Stevens Point was named after George Stevens, who operated a grocery and supply business on the [[Wisconsin River]] during the extensive logging of interior Wisconsin. The river was used by logging companies to float logs to market. [[Lumberjack|Logger]]s on the river found this a convenient stopping point, as the river bends slightly and the operation was from far upstream. The town developed from Stevens's post and was named for him.<ref>[http://www.spacvb.com/history.html] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160102185930/http://www.spacvb.com/history.html|date=January 2, 2016}}</ref>

In 1845, the postal service came to Stevens Point and with this improvement in communications, the population tripled within 20 years.

In 1847, the first plat was laid out of what became the City of Stevens Point, including the Public Square. The town square was originally an area next to the Wisconsin River where professionals, craftsmen, businessmen, and loggers gathered before their river journeys, bringing revenue to the area. As years went by, the area around the town square grew as logging increased.

Most buildings were first built with readily available wood. Many cases of early fires were reported from 1850&ndash;1890. Around 1880, buildings began to be built of brick and sandstone.

In 1916, Lyric Theater was built. It was demolished later.