New Outdoor Recreation Trail Dedicated in Wausau

Tuesday, August 5th, 2025 -- 8:01 AM

(Mike Leischner, WSAU) A new outdoor recreation trail along the Wisconsin River has been dedicated to a longtime public servant.

According to Mike Leischner with WSAU, the “Peckham Way,” named for longtime Wausau news reporter and Alderman Pat Peckham, runs from Thomas Street to Adolph Street around the Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Mayor Doug Diny says it’s a fitting tribute to a man who dedicated his life to serving the community. “He would get onto an issue and be like a dog on a bone- work it until it was either passed or failed. He would advance it as best he could. He rarely took no for an answer.”

Diny said he remembers Pat as a man of many talents. “We used to talk [about] a lot of different things. Politics, beekeeping, he was just a good guy to be around. He was involved with the woodworkers. [I remember] him reminiscing about how he almost cut his thumb off.”

Diny noted that he did receive a hand-crafted pen from Peckham, which he has used to sign some parks-related items. Council President Lisa Rasmussen and Bicycle-Pedestrian Advisory Committee Chair Jonathan Smith also spoke during Monday’s ceremony.

Smith noted that the committee will be working to extend the trail to D.C. Everest Park in the next few years.

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