The Chippewa Valley is a valley in
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
, US.
History
The valley was first inhabited by the
Ojibwe
The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains.
According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...
and colonized by
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
and
Scandinavia
Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...
n immigrants. The region also has a large
Hmong
Hmong may refer to:
* Hmong people, an ethnic group living mainly in Southwest China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand
* Hmong cuisine
* Hmong customs and culture
** Hmong music
** Hmong textile art
* Hmong language, a continuum of closely related ton ...
community. While the term "Chippewa Valley" technically refers to the
drainage basin
A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, t ...
of the
Chippewa River and its tributaries, the name is more often applied to the
Eau Claire-Chippewa Falls metropolitan area and the surrounding area—including communities not located within the Chippewa River's
watershed
Watershed is a hydrological term, which has been adopted in other fields in a more or less figurative sense. It may refer to:
Hydrology
* Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins
* Drainage basin, called a "watershe ...
.
From the 1850s to the early 1910s, lumber baron
Orrin Henry Ingram was largely responsible for the deforestation of the valley and the subsequent establishment of many small towns in the area.
[Guide to the Ingram Family and Empire Lumber Company Papers, 1906-1934](_blank)
, University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire: McIntyre Library
The population center of the Chippewa Valley is
Eau Claire.
Menards
Menards is an American home improvement retail company headquartered in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Menards is owned by founder John Menard Jr. through his privately held company, Menard, Inc. It has 335 stores in 15 states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa ...
, an American home improvement retail company, is also headquartered there. They are also a major job provider due to their manufacturing sites located in the area. Other communities include
Menomonie,
Chippewa Falls
Chippewa Falls is a city located on the Chippewa River (Wisconsin), Chippewa River in Chippewa County, Wisconsin, Chippewa County in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 14,778 in the 2021 census. Incorporated as ...
,
Durand, and
Altoona.
The region's agricultural products include milk, cheese, horseradish, kidney beans, apples, pumpkins, beef, and poultry. Much of the regional economy is service-driven, although there is also a significant light-industrial segment, especially in high tech (mainly computers).
Historic sites include the
Cook-Rutledge Mansion in Chippewa Falls, the
Caddie Woodlawn Museum
In golf, a caddie (or caddy) is the person who carries a player's bag and clubs, and gives the player advice and moral support.
Description
A good caddie is aware of the challenges and obstacles of the golf course being played, along with the ...
south of
Downsville, the
Mabel Tainter Center for the Arts in Menomonie, and a number of exhibits in Eau Claire's
Carson Park. In addition, there are a number of sites listed by the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in the area.
References
External links
History of the Chippewa ValleyHistorical and Biographical Album of the Chippewa Valley, Wisconsin
Regions of Wisconsin
Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Geography of Eau Claire County, Wisconsin
Geography of Dunn County, Wisconsin
Geography of Chippewa County, Wisconsin
Geography of Pepin County, Wisconsin
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