Menomonie () is a city in and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

of Dunn County in the western part of the U.S. state of

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 ...

. The city's population was 16,843 as of the 2020 census. Named for the original inhabitants of the area, the Menominee, the city forms the core of 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 ...

's Menomonie Micropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), which includes all of Dunn County (2010 population: 43,857). The Menomonie MSA and the Eau Claire–Chippewa Falls metropolitan area to the east form the Census Bureau's Eau Claire-Menomonie Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city center is at the south end of

Lake Menomin Lake Menomin is a reservoir on the Red Cedar River, in Dunn County, Wisconsin, USA. Its name is derived from the Ojibwe name for this lake, ''Manoominikaani-zaaga'igan'' meaning "Abundant with Wild Rice Lake." Along the lake's western and sou ...

, a

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contr ...

on the Red Cedar River.

History

The earliest known residents of the area were people from the Trempealeau Hopewell Culture of the Middle

Woodland Period In the classification of archaeological cultures of North America, the Woodland period of North American pre-Columbian cultures spanned a period from roughly 1000 BCE to European contact in the eastern part of North America, with some archaeo ...

(100–400 CE). Evidence from their culture includes a mound from the Wakanda Mounds Group in Wakanda Park, along the western shore of

. Most of these mounds are thought to be from Effigy Mound cultures from this time period. Artifacts from the Late Woodland Period (400–1000 CE) have also been uncovered. It is theorized that agricultural villages supported the population during summer months, transitioning to hunting and gathering from fall through spring. The next known population group is the

Santee Dakota The Dakota (pronounced , Dakota language: ''Dakȟóta/Dakhóta'') are a Native American tribe and First Nations band government in North America. They compose two of the three main subcultures of the Sioux people, and are typically divided int ...

in the 1600s and 1700s, who engaged in conflicts with 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 ...

people, who migrated west as refugees. Armed with European weapons, the Ojibwe pushed westward, eventually winning at the

Battle of Kathio The Battle of Kathio, or Battle of Izatys, was an oral tradition of the Chippewa reporting a battle fought in 1750 between Chippewas and the Sioux at the village of Kathio, or Izatys, on the Rum River next to Mille Lacs Lake. According to tra ...

in 1770. The two tribes continued their warfare, eventually signing the 1825 First Treaty of Prairie du Chien, which made a border between the two just north of Menomonie, with the Dakota claiming the southern lands. In 1788, French-Canadian fur trader and schoolmaster Jean Baptiste Perrault established a trading post and fort on the Red Cedar River very near Menomonie. The lumber industry brought Menomonie permanent settlement and economic prosperity in the 1800s. Hardin Perkins established the first sawmill at the confluence of Wilson Creek and the Red Cedar River in 1822 on behalf of fur traders James H. Lockwood and Joseph Rolette of Prairie du Chien. The mill was washed away by a sudden overflow in the river within a year. Working with Indian Agent General Street, Perkins, Lockwood and Rolette began a legal battle over the authority of the local Native American people to grant permissions of this sort, exchanging land for payment of blankets, beads, whiskey, and other merchandise to Dakota Chief Wapasha II and other Ojibwe chiefs. In 1830 the traders received permission from the federal government to rebuild their lumber operation. This was the first permanent settlement on the land that became the city of Menomonie. Lockwood built a second mill and dam on the west side of the Red Cedar River, at the confluence of Gilbert Creek. He sold this to Hiram S. Allen, a lumberman from

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provin ...

. In 1839, Allen built a new sawmill in its place, which he sold to the McCann brothers, settlers from

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

who later became the first permanent residents of Eau Claire. In 1849, the Gilbert Creek Mill became the site of the first post office. Lockwood and Rolette sold their original operation to James Green in 1841, who turned over the deed to William Black in 1842. In 1846, William Wilson and John Holly Knapp jointly purchased the mill, naming it Black & Knapp Mill. Wilson and his family settled in the area, eventually building what is now the Wilson Place Museum in 1859. Wilson founded the city of Menomonie and became its first mayor in 1882, as well as a Wisconsin State Senator. Captain Andrew Tainter and Henry L. Stout acquired interest in Wilson and Knapp's company, forming Knapp, Stout & Co. in 1853, the company that would come to define the town for generations. Tainter was a silent partner, whose duties included shipping lumber down to the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest Drainage system (geomorphology), drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson B ...

and returning with supplies. By 1873, Knapp, Stout & Co. had become the world's largest lumber corporation. In 43 years, its output grew from 100,000 to 5,706,602 feet of lumber. It had 1,200 employees and owned of pine forest. The post office was moved to the site of the Knapp, Stout & Co. Company in 1855, with Wilson as postmaster. Menomonie was incorporated as a city in 1882. The Mabel Tainter Memorial Building, a local landmark, was built in 1890 and dedicated on July 3, 1890, by Tainter in honor of his daughter Mabel, who had died in 1886 at the age of 19. In 1891, Wisconsin State Senator James Huff Stout, son of Henry L. Stout, founded a manual training school, the first of several educational enterprises he launched in Menomonie. These educational programs were combined into the Stout Institute in 1908, and still stand as the University of Wisconsin–Stout. In 1901, the water mill shut down and Knapp, Stout & Co. closed operations in the area. The Wisconsin Power Company and Submerged Electric Motor Co. acquired some of the company's facilities, the latter to house the world's first outboard motor factory. In 1902, the Wilson-Weber Lumber Company took over retail operations of the Knapp, Stout & Co. That same year, Menomonie founded the nation's first agricultural high school, the Dunn County School of Agriculture and Domestic Economy.

Geography

Menomonie is located at (44.879, −91.918). According to the

, the city has an area of , of which is land and is water. The city lies on

Interstate 94 Interstate 94 (I-94) is an east–west Interstate Highway connecting the Great Lakes and northern Great Plains regions of the United States. Its western terminus is just east of Billings, Montana, at a junction with I-90; its eastern term ...

, State Highway 25 (which serves as the main north–south thoroughfare through town), State Highway 29, and

US Highway 12 U.S. Route 12 (US 12) is an east–west United States highway, running from Aberdeen, Washington, to Detroit, Michigan, for almost . The highway has mostly been superseded by Interstate 90 (I-90) and I-94, but unlike most U.S. routes th ...

Climate

Demographics

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, there were 16,843 people. 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 RosenberPopu ...

was . There were 6,674 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 88.1%

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 ...

, 4.4% Asian, 1.7%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

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 ...

, 0.5% Native American, 0.9% from other races, and 4.5% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 2.8%

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 for ...

or Latino of any race.

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 inc ...

of 2010, there were 16,264 people, 5,743 households, and 2,455 families living in the city. The

was . There were 6,234 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 91.9%

, 0.8%

, 0.5% Native American, 4.2% Asian, 0.6% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.7% of the population. There were 5,743 households, of which 20.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 30.9% 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 ...

living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 57.3% were non-families. 36.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.87. The median age in the city was 23.4 years. 13.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 42% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 18.5% were from 25 to 44; 14.9% were from 45 to 64; and 11% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.5% male and 50.5% female. It is important to remember that a large percentage of the 42% between 18 and 24 were students at the University of Wisconsin-Stout.

2000 census

As of the 2000

, there were 14,937 people, 5,119 households, and 2,370 families living in the city. The

was 1,160.7 people per square mile (448.1/km²). There were 5,441 housing units at an average density of 422.8 per square mile (163.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.79%

, 0.76%

, 0.41% Native American, 3.21% Asian, 0.01%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.64% from other races, and 1.18% from two or more races. 1.14% of the population were

or Latino of any race. There were 5,119 households, out of which 22.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.0% were

living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 53.7% were non-families. 32.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.95. In the city, the population was spread out, with 15.5% under the age of 18, 40.4% from 18 to 24, 20.5% from 25 to 44, 12.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 23 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $31,103, and the median income for a family was $44,458. Males had a median income of $30,893 versus $21,898 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 $15,994. About 9.1% of families and 23.5% 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 16.7% of those under age 18 and 7.3% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Dunn County Transit

Dunn County Transit is Menomonie's public transportation system. It is owned and operated by Dunn County.

Services

The transit system operates two routes. The Community Route serves Menomonie at large; the Stout Route serves only UW-Stout but is open to the general public. These routes run as follows: *Community Route: 7:37am – 4:09pm Monday through Friday and 8:53am – 12:09pm on Saturdays *Stout Route: 7:17am – 9:09pm Monday through Friday

Ridership

Menomonie Municipal Airport (KLUM) serves the city and surrounding communities.

Education

Menomonie schools are part of the Menomonie Area School District. The city has one public high school, Menomonie High School, and one public middle school, Menomonie Middle School. There are five public elementary schools in the district: River Heights Elementary, Wakanda Elementary, Oaklawn Elementary], Downsville Elementary, and Knapp Elementary. St. Paul's Lutheran School is a Christian Pre-K–8 school of the

Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS), also referred to simply as the Wisconsin Synod, is an American Confessional Lutheran denomination of Christianity. Characterized as theologically conservative, it was founded in 1850 in Milwauk ...

(WELS) in Menomonie. The city is home to the University of Wisconsin–Stout and a campus of Chippewa Valley Technical College.

Jail

Dunn County Jail is on Menomonie's eastern edge. It houses sentenced and non-sentenced, male and female inmates. As of July 2020, there are just over 80 inmates.

Media

* '' The Menomonie Times'', a weekly newspaper published 1876–1909, * '' The Menomonie Badger'', a weekly newspaper published in 1903 and 1904 * ''The Dunn County News''

Honors

In 2012, Menomonie was ranked #15 in '' Smithsonian''s "The 20 Best Small Towns in America".

Notable people

* Stewart J. Bailey, Wisconsin legislator *

Bill Bakke William Helmer Bakke (born November 20, 1946, in Menomonie, Wisconsin) is an American former ski jumper who competed in the 1968 Winter Olympics The 1968 Winter Olympics, officially known as the X Olympic Winter Games (french: Les Xes Jeux olym ...

, ski jumper who competed in the

1968 Winter Olympics The 1968 Winter Olympics, officially known as the X Olympic Winter Games (french: Les Xes Jeux olympiques d'hiver), were a winter multi-sport event held from 6 to 18 February 1968 in Grenoble, France. Thirty-seven countries participated. Frenchm ...

* G. H. Bakke, Wisconsin legislator * Alvin J. Baldus, U.S. Representative * Wilfred Duford, NFL player * Rockwell J. Flint, Wisconsin state legislator and newspaper editor * Vern Fuller, MLB player *

Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon GaimanBorn as Neil Richard Gaiman, with "MacKinnon" added on the occasion of his marriage to Amanda Palmer. ; ( Neil Richard Gaiman; born 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, gra ...

, writer and screenwriter * John Paul Gerber, author and historian * Wilson Hall, half of the comedy duo God's Pottery *

Tim Harmston Tim Harmston is a stand-up comedian from Minneapolis. He competed on ''Last Comic Standing'' in 2014, and has performed on ''The Late Show With David Letterman'' and Comedy Central's ''Live at Gotham''. Star Tribune critic Jay Boller wrote that Ha ...

, stand-up comedian * Lorenzo D. Harvey, educator *

Luke Helder Lucas John Helder (born May 5, 1981) also known as the Midwest Pipe Bomber, is an American domestic terrorist and former University of Wisconsin–Stout student from Pine Island, Minnesota. He was arrested in 2002 as a suspect in pipe bombings in ...

, University of Wisconsin—Stout student who attempted to create a smiley-face on the US map with pipe bombs * Ethan Iverson, jazz pianist and founding member of

The Bad Plus ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

Warren S. Johnson Warren Seymour Johnson (November 6, 1847 – December 5, 1911) was an American college professor who was frustrated by his inability to regulate individual classroom temperatures. His multi-zone pneumatic control system solved the problem. Johnson ...

, founder of Johnson Controls and former school principal in Menomonie in the late 19th century *

Ellen Kort Ellen Kort (1936 – April 21, 2015) was an American poet, named the first Poet Laureate of Wisconsin in 2000 by Governor Tommy Thompson. She held the position until 2004. Biography Ellen Kort was born in 1936 in Glenwood City, Wisconsin and ...

, Wisconsin's first Poet Laureate, grew up in Menomonie * Reynold Kraft, NFL player * Tim Krumrie,

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

(1987–1988), nose tackle for the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The club's home ...

Robert Macauley Robert Conover "Bob" Macauley (December 11, 1923 – December 26, 2010) was an American businessman who left his paper company to create the charity Americares, which he established in 1982 and which has provided billions of dollars of aid to n ...

, Wisconsin legislator and jurist * Harry Miller, "the greatest creative figure in the history of the American racing car" * Tom Neumann, professional football player * Marvin Panch,

stock car racing Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing run on oval tracks and road courses measuring approximately . It originally used production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifically built for racing. It or ...

driver, winner of 1961

Daytona 500 The Daytona 500 is a NASCAR Cup Series motor race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is the first of two Cup races held every year at Daytona, the second being the Coke Zero Sugar 400, and one of thre ...

* Sewell A. Peterson, politician * Joe Plouff, politician *

Charles Sanna Charles Sanna (November 9, 1917, Philadelphia – March 13, 2019, Madison, Wisconsin) was an American inventor, best known for inventing Swiss Miss instant hot chocolate Hot chocolate, also known as hot cocoa or drinking chocolate, is a hea ...

inventor An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an ...

Swiss Miss Swiss Miss is a brand name for cocoa powder and pudding products invented by Charles Sanna (1917–2019) and sold by American food company Conagra Brands. History In the 1950s, the company sold its original hot cocoa Hot chocolate, also ...

instant hot chocolate * Richard Shoemaker, Wisconsin legislator * Nate Stanley, NFL player * Earl L. Stendahl, art dealer * James Huff Stout, legislator and businessman *

Jeremiah Burnham Tainter Jeremiah Burnham Tainter (January 6, 1836 in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin – February 5, 1920) was an inventor and engineer known for having designed the Tainter gate in 1886. He began his work in hydrology in 1862, with the modification of ...

, engineer * Tom Wiedenbauer,

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...

and first-base coach for the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central division. Since , they have ...

* Aaron Yonda, comedy video producer

Notable attractions

* The Mabel Tainter Theater *

Hoffman Hills State Recreation Area Hoffman Hills State Recreation Area is a unit of the Wisconsin state park system near Menomonie. A network of trails provides access to wooded hills, prairie, and wetlands. There are three picnic areas and a observation tower. Visitors a ...

* Lucette Brewing Company *Red Cedar State Trail

In popular culture

* '' Caddie Woodlawn'', a

Newbery Award The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished contr ...

-winning novel, is based on the girlhood adventures of Caroline Augusta Woodhouse, who lived about 10 miles south of Menomonie. The novel is by Woodhouse's granddaughter, Carol Ryrie Brink, and was published in 1936. There is a historical marker in the wayside park near the Woodhouse house. *The fictional town of Lakeside in

's novel ''

American Gods ''American Gods'' (2001) is a fantasy novel by British author Neil Gaiman. The novel is a blend of Americana, fantasy, and various strands of ancient and modern mythology, all centering on the mysterious and taciturn Shadow. The book was pu ...

'' may be based on Menomonie. *The eighth episode of season 11 of the television show

Supernatural Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...

takes place in Menomonie.

Sister city

Menomonie has a

sister city A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inter ...

: * Nasukarasuyama, Japan

References

External links

City of Menomonie

Menomonie Business Directory
* Menomonie LocalWiki
Menomonie Taxi
{{Authority control Cities in Wisconsin Cities in Dunn County, Wisconsin Micropolitan areas of Wisconsin County seats in Wisconsin Populated places established in 1788 1788 establishments in the Northwest Territory Wisconsin placenames of Native American origin