The Town of Rudolph is located in
Wood 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 ...
, in the United States. As of the
2000 census, the town population was 1,161. The
Village of Rudolph is located within the town.
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 29.7 square miles (77.0 km
2), of which, 29.7 square miles (76.9 km
2) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km
2) of it (0.13%) is water.
History
The part of the town within three miles of the
Wisconsin River
The Wisconsin River is the longest river in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, at approximately 430 miles (692 km) long. As a tributary of the Mississippi River, it is part of the Mississippi River System. The river's name was first recorded in 1673 b ...
was in the "Indian strip," sold by the
Menominee
The Menominee ( ; meaning ''"Menominee People"'', also spelled Menomini, derived from the Ojibwe language word for "Wild Rice People"; known as ''Mamaceqtaw'', "the people", in the Menominee language) are a federally recognized tribe of Na ...
s to the U.S. government in the 1836
Treaty of the Cedars. As such, it was logged and surveyed early. In 1840 a crew working for the U.S. government
surveyed that southern half of the six mile square that would become the town of Rudolph, walking through the woods and crossing the river, 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:
''Considerable good land on the North East part of this Fractional Township. Extensive(?) Lumbering Establishment of Draper Faytte(?) on sec 34. Apparently Extensive Bog iron
Bog iron is a form of impure iron deposit that develops in bogs or swamps by the chemical or biochemical oxidation of iron carried in solution. In general, bog ores consist primarily of iron oxyhydroxides, commonly goethite (FeO(OH)).
Iron-beari ...
ore bed on same section a short distance above said milling Establishment - specimen appears very rich & heavy.''
The mill and bog iron were actually on the south side of the river, in what would become Biron.
In 1851 another crew surveyed the section lines of the north half of what would become the town of Rudolph, producing this general description:
''Maple
''Acer'' is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the soapberry family Sapindaceae.Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 nd more or less continuously updated si ...
& Oak
An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...
are the prevailing Kinds of Timber in this Township although there is some Pine
A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae.
''World Flora Online'' accepts 134 species-rank taxa (119 species and 15 nothospecies) of pines as cu ...
The creeks & streams of water are mostly fed by swamps and are not durable. the soil is a dark loam with clay sub-soil; there is a great deal of stone in this Township. which decreases its value for farming purposes, the Surface is generally Rolling. though it is not hilly''
The town of Rudolph was established in 1856, and named after Frederick Rudolph Hecox, the
first white child born within its borders.
Notable people
*
D. D. Conway, lawyer and politician, was born in the town of Rudolph
['Wisconsin Blue Book 1913,' Biographical Sketch of D.D. Conway, pg. 687]
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 1,161 people, 423 households, and 342 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 39.1 people per square mile (15.1/km
2). There were 438 housing units at an average density of 14.8 per square mile (5.7/km
2). The racial makeup of the town was 96.90%
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 ...
, 0.26%
Black
Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
or
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 2.50%
Asian, and 0.34% from two or more races. 0.43% of the population were
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.
There were 423 households, out of which 33.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.6% 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, 4.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.1% were non-families. 16.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.1% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 26.3% from 45 to 64, and 13.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $50,852, and the median income for a family was $53,958. Males had a median income of $41,250 versus $25,833 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 $20,284. About 4.2% of families and 6.4% 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 9.2% of those under age 18 and 10.1% of those age 65 or over.
References
External links
Town of Rudolph, Wisconsin1840 sketch map covering the town of Rudolph, and showing that 1840 surveyors had a sense of whimsy, or whiskey1840 plat map covering southern half of township1852 plat map, covering northern half of township1879 plat map1896 plat map1909 plat map1928 plat map1956 plat map
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Towns in Wood County, Wisconsin
Towns in Wisconsin