Clam Falls is a town in
Polk County,
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 ...
, United States. The population was 547 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated communities of
Clam Falls and
Lewis
Lewis may refer to:
Names
* Lewis (given name), including a list of people with the given name
* Lewis (surname), including a list of people with the surname
Music
* Lewis (musician), Canadian singer
* "Lewis (Mistreated)", a song by Radiohead ...
are located in the town.
History
Before the
Clam River was dammed and
logging
Logging is the process of cutting, processing, and moving trees to a location for transport. It may include skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks or skeleton cars.
Logging is the beginning of a supply cha ...
began, the area around present-day Clam Falls had long been peopled by Native Americans, who called the location Cobbekonta, or "Little Falls", while the Clam River was known as Kenesca-Seba--"Clam-Shell River". The St. Croix Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians still inhabit the area, where they are engaged in harvesting wild rice, hunting, fishing, and maple sugaring.
The present Town of Clam Falls is situated on the east bank of Clam Flowage, which is formed by a dam at the confluence of McKenzie Creek and the Clam River. The east and west bank of the river were the location of logging operations since the late 1840s, and the dam was constructed in 1859 by Daniel F. Smith. Smith would go on to improve the Butternut Road, which became known as the Clam Falls Road—a highly travelled roadway extending from Clam Falls to Butternut Lake near present-day Luck, WI.
Town of Clam Falls
/ref> Traces of the road are still visible, and signs continue to mark its former path, which crisscrosses modern-day County Road I.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...
, the town has a total area of 35.4 square miles (91.7 km2), of which, 34.7 square miles (89.8 km2) of it is land and 0.7 square miles (1.9 km2) of it (2.03%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...
population density
Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...
was 15.8 people per square mile (6.1/km2). There were 352 housing units at an average density of 10.1 per square mile (3.9/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 96.71% White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...
, 0.18% African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.91% Native American, 0.55% Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, and 1.65% from two or more races. Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...
or Latino
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* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 0.55% of the population.
There were 237 households, out of which 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.5% were married couples living together, 5.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.5% were non-families. 27.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.75.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 19.7% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 28.0% from 45 to 64, and 19.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $34,844, and the median income for a family was $38,500. Males had a median income of $32,500 versus $25,750 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the town was $16,550. About 10.1% of families and 9.6% of the population were below the poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 7.8% of those under age 18 and 9.8% of those age 65 or over.
References
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Towns in Polk County, Wisconsin
Towns in Wisconsin