Clinton is a town in Vernon County in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

. The population was 1,354 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated community of Bloomingdale is located partially within the town.

History

The town was originally named "Masterson". It was created in March 1857 from the eastern half of the town of Christiana. The name was changed to "Clinton" in the fall of that year, in honor of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

Governor

DeWitt Clinton DeWitt Clinton (March 2, 1769February 11, 1828) was an American politician and Naturalism (philosophy), naturalist. He served as a United States Senate, United States senator, as the mayor of New York City, and as the sixth governor of New York. ...

Geography

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 town has a total area of 35.9 square miles (93.0 km²), of which, 35.9 square miles (92.9 km²) of it is land and 0.03% is water.

Demographics

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 2000, there were 1,354 people, 313 households, and 271 families residing in the town. 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 37.7 people per square mile (14.6/km²). There were 351 housing units at an average density of 9.8 per square mile (3.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.89%

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 ...

, 0.15% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.30% from other races, and 0.37% 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 1.26% of the population. There were 313 households, out of which 53.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 77.3% 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, 4.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 13.1% were non-families. 11.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.33 and the average family size was 4.76. In the town, the population was spread out, with 46.9% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 22.7% from 25 to 44, 12.1% from 45 to 64, and 8.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 20 years. For every 100 females, there were 110.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.8 males. The median income for a household in the town was $25,417, and the median income for a family was $26,625. Males had a median income of $25,526 versus $18,942 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 town was $7,915. About 32.9% of families and 46.2% 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 ...

, including 63.0% of those under age 18 and 16.5% of those age 65 or over.

Beaver Controversy

Recently a movement called "Save Taryn's Beaver" was launched to save a family of

beavers Beavers (genus ''Castor'') are large, semiaquatic rodents of the Northern Hemisphere. There are two existing species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers are the second-large ...

on upper Weister Creek. The beaver is a

keystone species A keystone species is a species that has a disproportionately large effect on its natural environment relative to its abundance. The concept was introduced in 1969 by the zoologist Robert T. Paine. Keystone species play a critical role in main ...

, increasing trout and bird biodiversity in its territory through creation of beaver ponds and wetlands. Options to manage the problem include beaver relocation, killing or installation of

Flow device Flow may refer to: Science and technology * Fluid flow, the motion of a gas or liquid * Flow (geomorphology), a type of mass wasting or slope movement in geomorphology * Flow (mathematics), a group action of the real numbers on a set * Flow (psyc ...

s to regulate pond height. The town of Clinton, Wisconsin is holding hearings to decide the fate of the Weister Creek beavers on May 12, 2010. At the first hearing, May 12, 70 citizens showed up and it was standing room only in a debate between those who wanted to protect the beavers versus those who feared further road damage or loss of pastureland to wetland. Bill Quackenbush, a representative of the Ho Chunk Tribal Nation, suggested that the Vernon County Board, which recently was awarded $1.2 million in funds from the Ho Chunk Nation to use on county projects, help defray the cost of installation of fencing and

flow device Flow may refer to: Science and technology * Fluid flow, the motion of a gas or liquid * Flow (geomorphology), a type of mass wasting or slope movement in geomorphology * Flow (mathematics), a group action of the real numbers on a set * Flow (psyc ...

s to lower the height of the beaver dam and protect Dell Road. The next hearing will be May 26.

Gallery

Image:Dell_United_Methodist_Church_2022May14_1141_a.m.jpg, Dell United Methodist Church in Dell, WI Image:Dell_Cemetery_2022May14_1141_a.m.jpg, Dell Cemetery in Dell, WI

References

External links

Information about the Town of Clinton

Site for "Save Taryn's Beaver"

Coulee Region of ''Trout Unlimited''

Kickapoo Valley Reserve

"Worth a Dam" (beaver information and educational site)
{{authority control Towns in Vernon County, Wisconsin Towns in Wisconsin