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Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin

Chippewa Falls is a city located on the Chippewa River in Chippewa County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 14,731 in the 2020 census. Incorporated as a city in 1869, it is the county seat of Chippewa County. The city's name originated from its location on the Chippewa River, which is named after the Ojibwe. It is a principal city of the Eau Claire–Chippewa Falls metropolitan area.

History
For thousands of years the Chippewa River was a water highway through a wilderness of forests and swamps, travelled by Ojibwe people, Lakota and others. More recently, Native Americans guided European explorers up the river and around the Falls. Pierre LeSueur "discovered" the Chippewa Spring in 1700 when this area was part of New France. Jonathan Carver traveled up the river with his party in 1768 when the area was claimed by Britain. The Chippewa River's watershed held a huge amount of valuable timber — more than the Wisconsin River - and before railroad and roads, the only way to transport much of it out was down the river, through what would become Chippewa Falls. When the 1837 Treaty of St. Peters opened this part of northern Wisconsin to logging, Jean Brunett led a team up the Chippewa River to build a sawmill at the Falls. With great effort and expense, they managed to build the first mill there. It survived until June 1846, when a storm flooded the river and destroyed most of the millworks. The mill was rebuilt quickly and sawing resumed. Railroads also arrived in the 1870s. In 1870, the West Wisconsin Railway had built a line from St. Paul, Minnesota, to Milwaukee, running ten miles to the south through Eau Claire. In 1875 the Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls Railway connected that line from Eau Claire to Chippewa Falls. In 1880, the CF&W was joined by the Wisconsin and Minnesota Railway pushing its way west from Abbotsford. This was followed in 1881 by the Chippewa Falls & Northern Railroad, which built a line north from Chippewa Falls to Bloomer, eventually extending it to Superior. Lumber-making had its ups and downs. Chippewa Falls was dominated by one big sawmill owned by one big lumber company, unlike Eau Claire, which had many. As mentioned above, Chippewa's first functioning mill was swept away by a flood of the river in 1846 or 1847. With that, the company was reorganized as the Chippewa Falls Lumber Company and rebuilt its mill in 1848, modernizing it to include two circular saws. In 1855 another flood took out part of the sawmill and millions of board feet of sawed lumber. The mill struggled financially through the Panic of 1857 and changed owners repeatedly. In 1869 it was reorganized as the Union Lumbering Company, which brought in new investors and expanded the mill. That company went bankrupt in 1875, failed again in 1877, and shut down the following year. In 1879 it was reorganized again as Chippewa Lumber & Boom Company. In 1881 the mill and its timber lands were bought by Frederick Weyerhaeuser's Mississippi River Logging Company. In 1886 the mill was struck by lightning and burned, then was rebuilt again. By the 1880s the Chippewa valley held the best remaining stand of white pine left in the Midwest. The company employed 400 people and the mill at Chippewa was said to be "the largest sawmill under one roof in the world." ==Geography==
Geography
Chippewa Falls is located along the north bank of the Chippewa River approximately three miles west of Lake Wissota. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. {{wide image|Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.jpg|400px|Business loop of US-53 crossing over the Chippewa River|100%|center ==Climate==
Demographics
2020 census As of the 2020 census, Chippewa Falls had a population of 14,731. The population density was . The median age was 39.4 years. 21.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.6% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 99.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.2 males. There were 6,482 households in Chippewa Falls, of which 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 35.4% were married-couple households, 22.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 33.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 40.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. of 2010, there were 13,661 people, 5,896 households, and 3,275 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 6,304 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.1% White, 1.7% African American, 0.7% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.6% of the population. There were 5,896 households, of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.7% were married couples living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 44.5% were non-families. 37.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.86. The median age in the city was 38 years. 22.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.1% were from 25 to 44; 24.6% were from 45 to 64; and 16.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.7% male and 49.3% female. 2000 census At the 2000 census, there were 12,925 people, 5,638 households and 3,247 families living in the city. The population density was 1,191.2 per square mile (459.9/km2). There were 5,905 housing units at an average density of 544.2 per square mile (210.1/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 97.62% White, 0.30% African American, 0.46% Native American, 0.67% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.16% from other races, and 0.77% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.63% of the population. There were 5,638 households, of which 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.4% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.4% were non-families. 36.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.89. Age distribution was 24.2% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.2 males. The median household income was $32,744, and the median family income was $43,519. Males had a median income of $32,016 versus $22,655 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,366. About 8.7% of families and 10.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.5% of those under age 18 and 5.8% of those age 65 or over. ==Government==
Economy
line As of 2011, the largest employers in the city were: ==Infrastructure==
Infrastructure
Chippewa Falls is situated along U.S. Highway 53, Wisconsin Highways 124 and 178, and Bus. WIS 29. Other routes include Wisconsin Highway 29; and County Highways J, Q, S, and X. Public transit is demand responsive public transport and is operated by Running Inc. ==Education==
Education
The Chippewa Falls Area School District (CFSD) serves the city of Chippewa Falls. It has two high schools: Chippewa Falls Senior High and Chippewa Falls Alternate High School; two middle schools: Chippewa Falls Middle School, and Chippewa Falls Alternate Middle School; and six elementary schools: Parkview, Hillcrest, Southview, Stillson, Halmstad, and Jim Falls Elementary. In addition there are several parochial schools: McDonell Central Catholic High School, Notre Dame Middle School, Holy Ghost, St. Charles, and St. Peter Elementary Schools, all of which are part of the McDonell Area Catholic Schools (MACS). The original McDonell High School building, constructed at a prominent location above downtown Chippewa Falls, is listed on the State and National Register of Historic Places. The structure was built in 1907. After the high school was relocated to a new building in a more suburban location, this structure was vacant for several years. It was taken over by the Chippewa Valley Cultural Association and converted into the Heyde Center for the Arts in 2000. ==Notable people==
Notable people
PoliticiansEdward Ackley, member of the Wisconsin State SenateWilliam B. Bartlett, member of the Wisconsin State AssemblyHoward W. Cameron, member of the Wisconsin State SenateWilder W. Crane, Jr., member of the Wisconsin State AssemblyGary Grant, member of the Washington House of RepresentativesLeo Richard Hamilton, member of the Wisconsin State AssemblyThomas S. Hogan, Montana Secretary of StateJohn J. Jenkins, U.S. Representative • Henry Laycock, member of the Wisconsin State AssemblyDick Leinenkugel, a politician and businessman with Leinenkugels. Served as the Wisconsin Secretary of Commerce under governor Jim DoyleHector McRae, member of the Wisconsin State AssemblyCharles F. Morris, member of the Wisconsin State AssemblyTerry Moulton, a politician and member of the Wisconsin State SenateArthur L. Padrutt, member of the Wisconsin State Senate • Bruce Peloquin, member of the Wisconsin State SenateBradley Phillips, member of the Wisconsin State AssemblyThaddeus C. Pound, U.S. Representative, grandfather of poet Ezra PoundIngolf E. Rasmus, lawyer and member of the Wisconsin State Assembly • Paul H. Raihle, author, lawyer, and member of the Wisconsin State AssemblySylvia H. Raihle, homesteader and member of the Wisconsin State AssemblyMarvin J. Roshell, member of the Wisconsin State SenateLycurgus J. Rusk, member of the Wisconsin State AssemblyChuck Schafer, member of the Wisconsin State AssemblyTom Sykora, elected to Wisconsin State Assembly in 1994 and served until retirement in 2003 • John W. Thomas, member of the Wisconsin State AssemblyAlexander Wiley, served four terms in the United States Senate for the state of Wisconsin from 1939 to 1963 • Terry A. Willkom, member of the Wisconsin State AssemblyCadwallader Jackson Wiltse, member of the Wisconsin State Assembly MilitaryIrving J. Carr, U.S. Army Major General • Richard H. Cosgriff, Medal of Honor recipient • Horace Ellis, Medal of Honor recipient • George Clay Ginty, Union Army general • James J. LeCleir, U.S. Air Force Major General • Charles E. Mower, United States Army soldier and Medal of Honor recipient in World War IIDennis B. Sullivan, U.S. Air Force Brigadier General SportsLeo Macdonell, sportswriter at the Detroit TimesMoose Baxter, John Morris Baxter, former Major League Baseball player • Chad Cascadden, National Football League linebacker for New York Jets and New England Patriots 1995–99 • Art Crews, professional wrestler, former Jail Captain with Chippewa County Sheriff's Department • Nate DeLong, National Basketball Association player • Charles E. "Gus" Dorais (1891–1954), quarterback and kicker for the University of Notre Dame; inducted in College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1954; head coach of Detroit Lions from 1943 to 1947 • Gene Ellenson, professional football player in 1946 • Joe Vavra, player for Los Angeles Dodgers, coach for Minnesota Twins; enshrined in Chi-Hi Athletic Hall of Fame on August 27, 2010 LawRussell G. Cleary, businessman and lawyer • Thomas Eugene Grady, Justice of the Washington Supreme CourtDonald F. Turner, lawyer and economist, Assistant Attorney General in charge of USDOJ's Antitrust Division under President Lyndon Baines Johnson OtherAndrew S. Cray, LGBT Rights Activist • Seymour Cray (1925–1996), electrical engineer and supercomputer architect who founded Cray ResearchJudy Henske, singer and songwriter, "Queen of the Beatniks"; songs about Chippewa roots include "The Ballad of Seymour Cray" • William F. Kirk (1877–1927), nationally syndicated columnist, poet, songwriter, humorist and baseball writer • Howard "Guitar" Luedtke, blues guitarist, singer, songwriter and musician who tours with his band, Howard "Guitar" Luedtke & Blue Max • Eddy Waller (1889–1977), actor who appeared in over 200 films between 1929 and 1963 • Wayne A. Grudem (born 1948), New Testament scholar, theologian, seminary professor, and author. ==In popular culture==
In popular culture
• In the 1977 film Annie Hall, Chippewa Falls is mentioned as being the hometown of Annie Hall (played by Diane Keaton). • In the 1997 film Titanic, Chippewa Falls is mentioned as being the hometown of Jack Dawson (played by Leonardo DiCaprio). • In the 2007 mockumentary comedy film Cook Off!, starring Melissa McCarthy and Wendi McLendon-Covey, a character mentions buying a house in Chippewa Falls. • In the 1995 Film "Tommy Boy" a road sign for Chippewa Falls is seen during a roadside fight. ==Important structures==
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