Hemlock, Wisconsin
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Warner is a
town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
in
Clark County Clark County may refer to: *Clark County, Arkansas *Clark County, Idaho *Clark County, Illinois *Clark County, Indiana *Clark County, Kansas *Clark County, Kentucky *Clark County, Missouri *Clark County, Nevada, containing Las Vegas *Clark 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 ...
of
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 ...
. As of the 2020 census, the town had a total
population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...
of 635 . Hemlock, now a ghost town in Warner, was once a little mill town that grew around a dam below the confluence of the Black and Popple rivers.


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 35.0 square miles (90.6 km2), of which, 34.9 square miles (90.3 km2) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km2) of it (0.37%) is water.


History

The six mile square that would become Warner was first surveyed in June of 1847 by a crew working for the U.S. government. Then in November of 1847 another crew marked all the section corners in the
township A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...
, walking through the woods and swamps, measuring with
chain A chain is a serial assembly of connected pieces, called links, typically made of metal, with an overall character similar to that of a rope in that it is flexible and curved in compression but linear, rigid, and load-bearing in tension. A ...
and
compass A compass is a device that shows the cardinal directions used for navigation and geographic orientation. It commonly consists of a magnetized needle or other element, such as a compass card or compass rose, which can pivot to align itself with No ...
. When done, the deputy surveyor filed this general description:
This township is low gently rolling Soil about Second rate and heavy timbered with W. Pine
Sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...
Lyn Lyn or LYN may refer to: People * Lyn (singer), South Korean singer * Lyn (gamer), South Korean ''Warcraft III'' player * Lyn (given name) * Lyn (surname) In science and technology * Lynx (constellation), standard abbreviation * Lyn (locomotive ...
Elm Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the genus ''Ulmus'' in the family Ulmaceae. They are distributed over most of the Northern Hemisphere, inhabiting the temperate and tropical- montane regions of North America and Eurasia, ...
Birch A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech- oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains 3 ...
(?) under growth Prickly Ash(?) then
Gooseberry Gooseberry ( or (American and northern British) or (southern British)) is a common name for many species of ''Ribes'' (which also includes Ribes, currants), as well as a large number of plants of similar appearance, and also several unrela ...
(?) along the Streams (?) (?) part of the township there is Considerable good Pine. Black River runs through this township from North to South Swift water and like a torrent rough(?) rocky channel and numerous Mill sites on it. Considering every thing this township will Soon be Settled with a heavy population. Plenty of good routes(?) through(?) the(?) township(?).
An 1873 map of Clark County showed one road, reaching up from Neillsville through Greenwood and Warner, across the Popple River and into what would become Longwood. Though the road followed the course of modern Highway 73, this was a dirt wagon road. In 1879 the Black River Improvement Company built a "flooding dam" below the confluence of the Black and Popple rivers, which could be opened to flush logs down the river when the natural floods were insufficient. Frederick Limprecht and N.H. Withee powered a
gristmill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that h ...
from this dam, and Withee built 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 ...
with an "upright and rotary saw." The following year C.G. Reul added a shingle mill. Limprecht built the first home in what would become the hamlet of Hemlock. By 1880 the Town of Warner was six miles from north to south and eighteen miles across, reaching from the west edge of Clark County through the modern town of Warner. The 1880 plat map shows seven structures in Hemlock, a school a half mile to the east, and a "hotel" a mile up the Popple River. Much of Warner's land was owned in large blocks by logging operations and land speculators, with C.C. Washburn, N.H. Withee, and W.H. Mead holding the largest share. Only a few roads had been added east of the Black River, mostly in the southeast corner north of Greenwood. West of the river, early wagon road segments of Century Road, Sidney Avenue, Capital Road, Riplinger Road and County O were in place. Farmers had begun to settle along these roads, especially in the south, and other schools had appeared: a mile and a half northeast of Greenwood, near the future crossing of Century Road and School Avenue, where Capitol Avenue crosses County O, and north of where Popple River Road crosses O. A "German church" had also appeared where Century Avenue now crosses O. An 1890 promotional pamphlet described Hemlock: "The little village of Hemlock, on Black River... has two large mills, one flour mill and one lumber, shingle and lath mill.... Hemlock is the northern terminus of the telephone line which extends south to La Crosse, and east to the towns of the Wisconsin Central Line." At that time, Hemlock was on a daily stage line which ran from Neillsville up through Hemlock and Warner to Longwood and then Withee. By 1893 not much had changed. Warner was still eighteen miles wide. Much of the town was still owned in large chunks by loggers and speculators, with J.J. Hogan a new major owner. Some of the wagon roads had been extended and more settlers had appeared along those roads. A sawmill had appeared on the map at Hemlock. By 1906, the eastern 12 miles of Warner were split off into the Town of Mead, leaving Warner with its current six by six-mile footprint. More roads had been added, and many more settlers, with 80-acre farms common. T.O. Withee now held most of the large tracts of land, but J.S. Owen Lumber Co. had appeared on the map. Another sawmill had appeared on the Black River just north of Greenwood, and the Fairchild and Northeastern Railroad cut across the southeast corner of Warner, heading from Willard toward
Owen Owen may refer to: People and fictional characters * Owen (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname Places United States * Owen, Missouri, a ghost town * Owen, Wisconsin * Owen County, Indiana ...
. A 1914 flood of the Black River washed out Hemlock's dam and mill. A 1919 history described Hemlock as an "abandoned village in Warner Township, deriving its name from an island of hemlock trees now washed away.... Nothing now remains but the ruined dam, and the abandoned buildings." The plat map of Warner from around 1920 shows the modern road grid nearly complete and most of Warner settled. Three cheese factories had appeared: one east of Hemlock where Kingston Road now crosses highway 73, another where Sidney Avenue now meets Century Road, and another where County O meets MM. The transition from logging to agriculture was well underway.


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 627 people, 195 households, and 164 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 18.0 people per square mile (6.9/km2). There were 208 housing units at an average density of 6.0 per square mile (2.3/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 98.41%
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 ...
, 1.28% Asian, and 0.32% 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 0.16% of the population. There were 195 households, out of which 47.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 75.4% 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, 4.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 15.4% were non-families. 13.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.16 and the average family size was 3.44. In the town, the population was spread out, with 35.1% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 10.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $37,273, and the median income for a family was $40,179. Males had a median income of $34,167 versus $21,042 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 $13,443. About 3.8% of families and 7.9% 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 7.7% of those under age 18 and 4.0% of those age 65 or over.


References

{{authority control Towns in Wisconsin Towns in Clark County, Wisconsin