Ladysmith is a city and the county seat of Rusk 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 3,414 at the 2010 census.

History

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 ...

who travelled the Flambeau River called the area that would become Ladysmith ''Gakaabikijiwanan'' ("of cliffed rapids"). The city was founded in 1885 at the intersection of the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad (Soo Line) with the

Flambeau River The Flambeau River is a tributary of the Chippewa River in northern Wisconsin, United States. The Chippewa is in turn a tributary of the upper Mississippi River. The Flambeau drains an area of and descends from an elevation of approximately ...

, initially named ''Flambeau Falls''. Robert Corbett, a logging and lumbering entrepreneur who was a strong influence on the city in its early years, renamed it Corbett, then Warner in 1891, and then Ladysmith on July 1, 1900, after the bride of Charles R. Smith, head of the Menasha Wooden Ware Co.

Flambeau Mine

The Flambeau Copper Mine was operated by Kennecott from 1993 to 1997. This was a very rich

volcanogenic massive sulfide ore deposit Volcanogenic massive sulfide ore deposits, also known as VMS ore deposits, are a type of metal sulfide ore deposit, mainly copper-zinc which are associated with and created by volcanic-associated hydrothermal events in submarine environments. ...

, so rich that the ore was shipped directly to the

smelter Smelting is a process of applying heat to ore, to extract a base metal. It is a form of extractive metallurgy. It is used to extract many metals from their ores, including Silver mining#Ore processing, silver, iron-making, iron, copper extracti ...

. Flambeau has since been closed and the site reclaimed.

2002 tornado

On September 2, 2002, a tornado rated at F3 strength destroyed much of Ladysmith's downtown area. Overall damage was estimated at $20 million, but there were no fatalities.

Geography

Ladysmith is located at . 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 the ...

, the city has an area of , of which is land and is water. U.S. Highway 8 and

Wisconsin Highway 27 State Trunk Highway 27 (often called Highway 27, STH-27 or WIS 27) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The highway spans a length of and is generally two-lane local road with the exception of urban multilane arterials within some ...

are the main routes in the community. Ladysmith is along the

Demographics

2010 census

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 incl ...

of 2010, there were 3,414 people, 1,527 households, and 806 families living in the city. The

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 RosenberPopul ...

was . There were 1,667 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.3%

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 on ...

, 0.6%

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 ...

, 0.8% Native American, 0.6%

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 ...

, 0.5% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.2% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, 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 Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * 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 1.6% of the population. There were 1,527 households, of which 26.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.1% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 47.2% were non-families. 41.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.86. The median age in the city was 43.8 years. 22.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.9% were from 25 to 44; 25.7% were from 45 to 64; and 23% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 45.6% male and 54.4% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 3,932 people, 1,570 households, and 916 families living in the city. The

was 1,008.9 people per square mile (389.3/km²). There were 1,660 housing units at an average density of 425.9 per square mile (164.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.31%

, 1.48%

, 0.56% Native American, 0.48%

, 0.13%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, 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 the original p ...

, 0.10% from

, and 0.94% from two or more races.

of any race were 0.76% of the population. There were 1,570 households, out of which 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.4% were

living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.6% were non-families. 35.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.92. In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.8% under the age of 18, 13.4% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 18.7% from 45 to 64, and 21.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 87.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $28,274, and the median income for a family was $40,526. Males had a median income of $26,725 versus $20,826 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 city was $15,499. About 7.2% of families and 12.2% 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 11.1% of those under age 18 and 11.0% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Rusk County Airport (KRCX) serves Ladysmith. The Rusk County Transit Commission provides transportation within Rusk County.

Education

Ladysmith is served by the Ladysmith School District, which administers Ladysmith High School and Ladysmith Elementary School. Ladysmith is also home to private schools Our Lady of Sorrows, a Catholic grade school, and North Cedar Academy, a private

college prep A college-preparatory school (usually shortened to preparatory school or prep school) is a type of secondary school. The term refers to state school, public, Independent school, private independent or parochial school, parochial schools primaril ...

International boarding high school, providing "BluGold" study program, which allows students to earn up to 60 college credits within the high school. Ladysmith was the home of

Mount Senario College Mount Senario College (MSC or Mt. Senario) was a private non-profit college located in Ladysmith, Wisconsin, in the Diocese of Superior. History Early history The College began in 1930, when summer extension courses were conducted in Ladysmith f ...

, which closed in 2002. In the 2006–07 school year, part of the former campus was operated as Concordia Preparatory School, a private Christian high school. That institution also faced financial problems and closed. Silver Lake College of

Manitowoc, Wisconsin Manitowoc () is a city in and the county seat of Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, United States. The city is located on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Manitowoc River. According to the 2020 census, Manitowoc had a population of 34,626, with over ...

, began offering courses at Mount Senario, renamed Mount Senario Education Center, in September 2009. Silver Lake itself closed in 2020, and North Cedar Academy now occupies Mount Senario's old campus, passed on its collaboration with the UW System and provides "BluGold" Guarantee Transfer Program.

Notable people

Gary Beecham Gary Beecham is a studio glass artist of North Carolina. Education, work Beecham's attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he was awarded a Bachelor of Science in Art in 1979. He worked for a year in 1978 at the J. & L. Lobmeyr ...

, artist *

Lois Capps Lois Ragnhild Capps (née Grimsrud; January 10, 1938) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 1998 to 2017. She is a member of the Democratic Party. The district, numbered as the 22nd District from 1998 to 2003 ...

, member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

from

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

* Jorge A. Carow, Wisconsin State Assembly * Mark Hayes, composer and arranger * Donald J. Hoffman, Air Force 4-star general *

Ron Kovic Ronald Lawrence Kovic (born July 4, 1946) is an American anti-war activist, writer, and United States Marine Corps sergeant who was wounded and paralyzed in the Vietnam War. His 1976 memoir ''Born on the Fourth of July'' was made into the Academ ...

, author,

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

veteran *

Jim Leonhard James Andrew Leonhard (born October 27, 1982) is an American football coach and former player. He was most recently the interim head coach for the Wisconsin Badgers football team. Leonhard played college football at Wisconsin and professionally ...

, NFL player * Earl Maves, NFL player * A. R. Morlan (1958–2016), author * Martin Reynolds, mayor of Ladysmith, Wisconsin State Assembly * Kathleen Slattery-Moschkau, filmmaker

References

External links

City of Ladysmith

Ladysmith Chamber of Commerce
* Ladysmith, Wisconsin is at coordinates . * Sanborn fire insurance maps:
190219091914
{{authority control Cities in Wisconsin Cities in Rusk County, Wisconsin County seats in Wisconsin