Thomas Manwaring was born in England in 1849 and immigrating to the United States around 1872. After purchasing the West Bend stopping place in 1875, Thomas married Margaritha Hattamer in July of 1877 in Chippewa Falls and they subsequently made their home and raised their four children (Emma, John, Frank, and Lillian) at their Chippewa River stopping place…. which came to be known as “Little Tommie’s.” From the first he had been a very hard laborer, logging during the logging season and in the summer clearing his farm out of the heavy timber at his place.
The old Chippewa Tote Road was soon improved and, by 1881, was graded beyond Little Tommie’s and reached all the way to Thayer’s trading post at the village of Pahquahwong (today known as Old Post). It was at that time when the stage line of Stiles and Co began running daily trips between the Post and Chippewa Falls. The stage goes up to the Post from Chippewa Falls one day and back the next. In addition to that new service, having his stopping place situated precisely where the East Fork Road forded the river and junctioned with the newly improved Chippewa Tote Road, “Little Tommie” no doubt experienced a thriving business giving comfort to many a lumberman.
Although it is not known how many buildings Kelly and Hall had first erected, the stopping place would eventually grow to form a complex of eleven buildings… many of them made out of hand-hewn logs and likely built during Manwaring’s ownership. The six buildings situated between the southwest bank of the river and Chippewa Road were likely the first ones built. Just across the road from those buildings up on a gentle slope that extended to the southwest of the river were five additional buildings… the most impressive of which was an eleven room, two story farmhouse which offered a most commanding view of the river from a large covered porch that wrapped itself half way around the house. Whether it was built by Manwaring or one of the succeeding owners remains a mystery.
Thomas Manwaring went on to be appointed as one of the first county supervisors when Sawyer County was formed in 1883 and, in 1885, he became postmaster at his place… which was identified on some maps as Manwaring. Sadly, because his health was failing at that time, Manwaring was compelled to close his stopping place for the rest of the 1885 season. After he died that December, Margaritha leased the place out for the next seven years to a series of renters and logging companies who used it as a camp. On December 27, 1892, the widow Manwaring entered into a land contract with Paul and Georgina Lessard, who purchased the place and were to operate it for the next 20 years.
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