Cornell is a city in

Chippewa County, Wisconsin Chippewa County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is named for the historic Chippewa people, also known as the Ojibwe, who long controlled this territory. As of the 2020 census, the population was 66,297. Its county se ...

, United States. The population was 1,453 at the 2020 census, down from 1,467 at the 2010 census. It is located on the Chippewa River, upstream from Lake Wissota and Chippewa Falls, where Highway 64 crosses the river and Highway 27.

History

The Cornell area was long visited by

Sioux The Sioux or Oceti Sakowin ( ; Dakota/ Lakota: ) are groups of Native American tribes and First Nations people from the Great Plains of North America. The Sioux have two major linguistic divisions: the Dakota and Lakota peoples (translati ...

and Chippewa people passing up and down the Chippewa River. The early white settlement was called ''Brunet Falls'', named for Jean Brunet, who opened a trading post in the area in 1843. Brunet was a French-born American who served in the U.S. Army and led the building in 1836 of the first dam and sawmill in the then-wilderness at Chippewa Falls. After that he moved up the river another 30 miles and built a log cabin a mile below what would become Cornell on the west bank of the river. From his log cabin he ran a

trading post A trading post, trading station, or trading house, also known as a factory in European and colonial contexts, is an establishment or settlement where goods and services could be traded. Typically a trading post allows people from one geogr ...

that initially served Indians, and later grew into a stopping place (inn) for loggers and traders heading upriver. The city was named for

Ezra Cornell Ezra Cornell (; January 11, 1807 – December 9, 1874) was an American businessman, politician, academic, and philanthropist. He was the founder of Western Union and a co-founder of Cornell University. He also served as president of the New York ...

, one of the founders of

Western Union The Western Union Company is an American multinational financial services corporation headquartered in Denver, Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1851 as the New York and Mississippi Valley Printing Telegraph Company in Rochester, New York, the co ...

, who owned a very large amount of timber land in the area. Upon his death in 1874, this land became a part of the endowment for the

Ivy League The Ivy League is an American collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference of eight Private university, private Research university, research universities in the Northeastern United States. It participates in the National Collegia ...

university A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

that bears his name. Cornell has the U.S.'s only surviving pulpwood stacker, a huge device built next to the Chippewa River in 1911 to quickly and safely stack large quantities of pulpwood logs for storage until they could be processed in the

paper mill A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags, and other ingredients. Prior to the invention and adoption of the Fourdrinier machine and other types of paper machine that use an endless belt ...

nearby. The stacker has been unused since 1971, but is considered a historical treasure.

Geography

Cornell is located at (45.165328, -91.149044). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Demographics

As of 2000 the median income for a household in the city was $30,690, and the median income for a family was $38,313. Males had a median income of $30,776 versus $19,808 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $15,494. About 6.8% of families and 8.9% 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 ...

, including 10.1% of those under age 18 and 5.8% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 1,467 people, 607 households, and 400 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

was . There were 670 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.6%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.3%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.3% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.1%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, and 1.5% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 0.2% of the population. There were 607 households, of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.9% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.1% were non-families. 30.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.84. The median age in the city was 44 years. 22.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.7% were from 25 to 44; 26.3% were from 45 to 64; and 22.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.6% male and 51.4% female.

Transportation

Cornell Municipal Airport (4WI9, formerly 2H3) serves the city and surrounding communities.

Education

Cornell is served by the Cornell School District.

Attractions

Brunet Island State Park Brunet Island State Park is a state park of Wisconsin, USA, featuring a island in the Chippewa River. The remainder of the park's are on the east bank of the river. It is noted for its numerous white-tailed deer and large eastern hemlock t ...

is adjacent to the city. The northern trailhead for the Old Abe State Trail, a paved rail-trail, is located downtown. Cornell has the world's only surviving pulpwood stacker. The stacker helped to launch the huge timber industry in the Northwoods of Wisconsin in the late 19th century and early 20th century. It was used to move large quantities of pulpwood logs, making the process of stacking wood faster, safer, and easier. The stacker has been unused since 1972, but is considered a historical treasure. An annual town fair, known as the Stacker Festival, continues today.

References

External links

* {{authority control Cities in Chippewa County, Wisconsin Cities in Wisconsin Eau Claire–Chippewa Falls metropolitan area