Clark County, Wisconsin

History

By the early 1800s, the land and streams that are now Clark County were the hunting grounds of the Chippewa, Dakota, Ho-Chunk, and possibly Menominee peoples. In 1836, these Indigenous groups were joined by a party of French-Canadian fur traders who established a temporary post for the American Fur Company on the East Fork of the Black River.

The next European-American arrivals were likely Mormon loggers in 1844, who came to harvest pine logs from the forests along the Black River. They floated the logs downstream to a sawmill at Black River Falls, where the lumber was processed and transported further downriver for use in constructing the Mormon temple in Nauvoo, Illinois. The Mormons established logging camps along the river at sites including Mormon Riffle (about a mile below Neillsville), near Weston's Rapids, and south of Greenwood. This logging operation likely ended by 1846, when most of the Mormons left the area following the murder of Joseph Smith.

In June 1845, James and Henry O'Neill led a party overland from Black River Falls, cutting a road through the brush. They used oxen to pull a wagon carrying tools and supplies. Upon arriving, they built a cabin on O'Neill Creek, followed by a sawmill. Lumber from the mill was rafted down the Black River to Black River Falls and then transported to Alexander O'Neill in Burlington, Iowa. However, a storm in June 1847 caused severe flooding of the Black River, destroying all the existing sawmills. Despite this setback, the settlers rebuilt.

Clark County was founded in 1853 and officially organized the following year. The county's name origin is uncertain—it was either named for A. W. Clark, an early settler, or for General George Rogers Clark.

Electricity became available in some towns and villages around 1900 through private power plants. For example, in 1902, the Paulsen mill began supplying electricity to the village of Withee. However, rural farms remained without electricity until the late 1930s. In 1937, the newly formed Clark Electric Cooperative, funded by a loan from the New Deal's Rural Electrification Administration, began installing power lines to serve the county's rural areas.

In 1920, construction began on the Clark County Asylum, located two miles east of Owen. It was the last in a network of 35 county mental hospitals established in Wisconsin, designed to provide long-term care for patients unlikely to recover. Twelve patients from the Wausau asylum assisted with construction and became the facility’s first residents. The asylum operated a farm to keep patients engaged while supplying food for the institution. By 1924, patients cultivated 60 acres of corn, 25 acres of potatoes, 16 acres of barley, 40 acres of oats, 6 acres of buckwheat, and 3 acres of millet. A dairy herd was later introduced, along with hog farming and a slaughterhouse by 1948. Over time, the institution's mission shifted from a "custodial asylum" to a "treatment hospital" and eventually to a skilled nursing facility. Today, it is known as the Clark County Rehab and Living Center.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, Clark County has a total area of 1219 sqmi, of which 1210 sqmi is land and 9.0 sqmi (0.7%) is water.

Adjacent counties

• Taylor County – north
• Marathon County – east
• Wood County – southeast
• Jackson County – south
• Eau Claire County – west
• Chippewa County – northwest

Major highways

• [[Image:US 10.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 10
• [[Image:US 12.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 12
• [[Image:WIS 13.svg|20px]] Highway 13 (Wisconsin)
• [[Image:WIS 27.svg|20px]] Highway 27 (Wisconsin)
• [[Image:WIS 29.svg|20px]] Highway 29 (Wisconsin)
• [[Image:WIS 73.svg|20px]] Highway 73 (Wisconsin)
• [[Image:WIS 95.svg|20px]] Highway 95 (Wisconsin)
• [[Image:WIS 98.svg|20px]] Highway 98 (Wisconsin)

Railroads

• Union Pacific
• Watco
• Canadian National

Buses

Airport

• KVIQ – Neillsville Municipal Airport

Climate

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010 2020 2024

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the population of Clark County was 34,659. The population density was 28.7 /mi2. There were 14,755 housing units at an average density of 12.2 /mi2.

The median age was 37.5 years. 28.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 102.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 102.4 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was:

• 92.2% White
• 0.3% Black or African American
• 0.5% American Indian and Alaska Native
• 0.3% Asian
• 3.4% from some other race
• 3.2% from two or more races

Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 6.1% of the population.

There were 12,768 households in the county, of which 30.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 54.0% were married-couple households, 19.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 19.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 26.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 14,755 housing units, of which 13.5% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 77.7% were owner-occupied and 22.3% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.5% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.5%.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, Clark County had a population of 33,557, with 12,047 households and 8,673 families residing in the county. The population density was 28 /mi2. There were 13,531 housing units at an average density of 11 /mi2.

The racial composition of the county was:

• 98.05% White
• 0.13% Black or African American
• 0.48% Native American
• 0.30% Asian
• 0.01% Pacific Islander
• 0.56% from other races
• 0.47% from two or more races

Additionally, 1.20% of the population identified as Hispanic or Latino of any race.

The most common ancestries reported were:

• 54.0% German
• 9.0% Polish
• 6.2% Norwegian
• 6.1% American

In terms of language, 6.62% of residents spoke German, Pennsylvania Dutch, or Dutch at home, while an additional 1.34% spoke Spanish.

There were 12,047 households, of which:

• 35.0% had children under 18 living with them
• 61.2% were married couples living together
• 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present
• 28.0% were non-families

Additionally, 23.8% of all households consisted of individuals, and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years or older. The average household size was 2.73, while the average family size was 3.27.

The county’s population was distributed as follows:

• 29.9% under the age of 18
• 7.7% from 18 to 24
• 26.2% from 25 to 44
• 20.2% from 45 to 64
• 16.0% aged 65 or older

The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.5 males. Among adults 18 and older, there were 98.7 males per 100 females.

In 2017, there were 554 births in the county, resulting in a general fertility rate of 99.2 births per 1,000 women aged 15–44—the second-highest rate among Wisconsin’s 72 counties. Of these, 184 births occurred at home, more than in any other county in the state.

Religion

In 2010, the largest religious groups by reported number of adherents in Clark County were:

• Catholicism: 9,535 adherents
• Missouri Synod Lutheranism: 2,459 adherents
• ELCA Lutheranism: 2,281 adherents
• Amish: 1,986 adherents
• United Church of Christ: 959 adherents
• Wisconsin Synod Lutheran: 891 adherents
• United Methodist: 577 adherents.

Communities

Cities

• Abbotsford (partly in Marathon County)
• Colby (partly in Marathon County)
• Greenwood
• Loyal
• Neillsville (county seat)
• Owen
• Thorp
• Stanley (mostly in Chippewa County)

Villages

• Curtiss
• Dorchester (partly in Marathon County)
• Granton
• Unity (mostly in Marathon County)
• Withee

Towns

• Beaver
• Butler
• Colby
• Dewhurst
• Eaton
• Foster
• Fremont
• Grant
• Green Grove
• Hendren
• Hewett
• Hixon
• Hoard
• Levis
• Longwood
• Loyal
• Lynn
• Mayville
• Mead
• Mentor
• Pine Valley
• Reseburg
• Seif
• Sherman
• Sherwood
• Thorp
• Unity
• Warner
• Washburn
• Weston
• Withee
• Worden
• York

Census-designated places

• Chili
• Humbird

Unincorporated communities

• Atwood
• Bright
• Christie
• Clark
• Columbia
• Eadsville
• Eidsvold
• Globe
• Hemlock
• Junction
• Lombard
• Longwood
• Lynn
• Nevins
• Reseburg
• Riplinger
• Sherwood
• Shortville
• Tioga
• Sidney
• Spokeville
• Veefkind
• Willard

Ghost towns/neighborhoods

• Kurth
• Maple Works
• Romeo
• Trow
• Worden

In 2013, there were 16 Amish church districts in Clark County.

Politics

Clark County has leaned Republican for much of its history, but it has voted for Democrats 6 times since 1950. The last Democrat to win the county was Barack Obama in 2008, and since then it has trended strongly Republican in every election. In 2020 and 2024, Donald Trump won the highest share of the vote for a Republican since Dwight Eisenhower's 1952 landslide.

Education

School districts include:

• Abbotsford School District
• Alma Center School District
• Colby School District
• Granton Area School District
• Greenwood School District
• Loyal School District
• Marshfield School District
• Neillsville School District
• Osseo-Fairchild School District
• Owen-Withee School District
• Pittsville School District
• Spencer School District
• Stanley-Boyd Area School District
• Thorp School District

References

References

1. "2020 Decennial Census: Clark County, Wisconsin". U.S. Census Bureau.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
3. (1918). "History of Clark County, Wisconsin". H.C. Cooper Jr & Co..
4. Curtiss-Wedge, p. 36.
5. Curtiss-Wedge, pp. 37–38.
6. (2007). "Wisconsin: Individual County Chronologies". [[Newberry Library.
7. Gannett, Henry. (1905). "The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States". Govt. Print. Off..
8. (June 16, 1932). "Here's How Iron Got Its Name". The Rhinelander Daily News.
9. "About Us".
10. (January 4, 2022). "It's Electrifying: The Advent of Clark County's Electrical Service". Multi Media Channels LLC.
11. [https://wiclarkcountyhistory.org/0data/5/5721.htm], Marshfield News-Herald, July 15, 1983
12. (August 22, 2012). "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
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14. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau.
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16. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau.
17. (April 2, 2001). "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau.
18. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau.
19. [https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/clarkcountywisconsin/PST045223 QuickFacts Clark County, Wisconsin]
20. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
21. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
22. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
23. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
24. "Language Map Data Center".
25. "Annual Wisconsin Birth and Infant Mortality Report, 2017 P-01161-19 (June 2019): Detailed Tables".
26. "Clark County, Ohio - County Membership Report (2020)". The Association of Religion Data Archives.
27. [http://www.thearda.com/rcms2010/rcms2010a.asp?U=55019&T=county&Y=2010&S=Name thearda.com 2010 County Membership Report data]
28. Donald B. Kraybill, Karen M. Johnson-Weiner, Steven M. Nolt: ''The Amish''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2013, p. 142.
29. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
30. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
31. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Marathon County, WI". [[U.S. Census Bureau]].