Downsville is an
unincorporated census-designated place
A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only.
CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...
in the town of
Dunn, located within
Dunn County,
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 ...
,
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, where
Highway 25 crosses the
Red Cedar River. As of the
2020 census, its population was 188, down from 146 at the
2010 census.
The community was founded in 1855. Around that time, Ebenezer Thompson tried to dam the
Red Cedar, but his half-built dam was destroyed by a flood. In 1857 Captain Downs tried again and succeeded in building a dam which powered a
sawmill
A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...
. The village was platted in 1859, and named for Downs. He sold the mill to
Knapp, Stout & Co., who expanded it and added
planing and shingle mills which employed about 100 men by 1891. By that year the town also had a steam feed mill and a stop on the Menomonie branch of the
Chicago, Milwaukee & St Paul Railway.
Notes
External links
Downsville village website
Census-designated places in Dunn County, Wisconsin
Census-designated places in Wisconsin
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