Trempealeau ( ) is a village located along the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

in Trempealeau 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 1,843 at the 2020 census. The village is surrounded by the Town of Trempealeau.

History

An ancient Native American site with earthwork mounds, also known as Trempealeau, has been studied near the village through archeological excavations in the 21st century. It is theorized as a possible mission site or colony of

Cahokia Cahokia Mounds ( 11 MS 2) is the site of a Native American city (which existed 1050–1350 CE) directly across the Mississippi River from present-day St. Louis. The state archaeology park lies in south-western Illinois between East St. L ...

, the major center of

Mississippian culture The Mississippian culture was a collection of Native American societies that flourished in what is now the Midwestern, Eastern, and Southeastern United States from approximately 800 to 1600 CE, varying regionally. It was known for building la ...

from 1000CE to 1450CE located 500 miles to the south in present-day Illinois near

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

. Studies have been done through the Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center associated with the University of Wisconsin Madison. Archeologists Danielle Benden and Robert “Ernie” Boszhardt said they have found some evidence of Mississippian settlement about 1050E. The newcomers are believed to have introduced corn culture to the area.une Patrick B. Anderson, "Trempealeau’s Big Dig: Archaeologists hunt for Native American relics"
'' Winona Daily News'', hosted at ''La Crosse Tribune'', June 21, 2010, accessed April 21, 2015David Tenenbaum, "Town meets gown to explore Wisconsin’s Trempealeau mounds"
July 23, 2014, accessed April 21, 2015 The archeology site is slightly downriver of the prominent landmark, Trempealeau Mountain. In 2013 evidence was found of several former structures that exhibited characteristics of Mississippian style. There is some evidence that a religious group came here from Cahokia, perhaps fleeing persecution. European-American settlement did not take place here until the mid-19th century, although French and English

fur traders The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the mos ...

interacted with Native Americans of the area from the colonial period and into the 19th century. A post office called Trempealeau was first established in 1852. The village was named by a French explorer after a nearby island in the

Geography

Trempealeau is located at (44.006906, -91.434572). 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 village has a total area of , of which, of it is land and is water.

Climate

Demographics

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, the population was 1,843. 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 . There were 921 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 94.0%

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 ...

, 0.4% Asian, 0.3%

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 ...

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 ...

, 0.2% Native American, 0.5% from other races, and 4.6% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 2.0%

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. According to the

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...

estimates for 2016-2020, the median income for a household in the village was $56,383, and the median income for a family was $67,500. Male full-time workers had a median income of $45,278 versus $32,344 for female workers. 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 village was $30,328. About 2.7% of families and 4.1% 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 6.4% of those under age 18 and 3.6% of those age 65 or over. Of the population age 25 and over, 98.3% were high school graduates or higher and 20.8% had a bachelor's degree or higher.

2010 census

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 2010, there were 1,529 people, 704 households, and 426 families residing in the village. The

was . There were 835 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 97.8%

, 0.1%

, 0.4% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.4% of the population. There were 704 households, of which 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.7% 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, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.5% were non-families. 33.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.74. The median age in the village was 42.7 years. 20.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.7% were from 25 to 44; 28.8% were from 45 to 64; and 17.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 49.8% male and 50.2% female.

Notable people

* Gideon Winans Allen, Wisconsin State Representative * Robert Grimes Coman,

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...

Commodore *

Charles Kenneth Leith Charles Kenneth Leith (January 20, 1875 – September 13, 1956) was an American geologist. He was head of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, University of Wisconsin geology department for 30 years. In 1942, he was awarded the Penrose Medal by ...

, geologist * Todd Auer, NFL Pro Football Player

Images

File:TrempealeauWisconsinDowntown.jpg, Looking south at downtown Trempealeau, part of the Main Street Historic District,

in background File:TrempealeauWisconsinSignWIS35.jpg, Looking west at the population sign along

WIS 35 State Trunk Highway 35 (STH-35, WIS 35) is a Wisconsin State Highway system, Wisconsin state highway running north–south across western Wisconsin. It is 412.15 miles in length, and is the longest state highway in Wisconsin. Portions ...

File:TrempeleauWI 1860sHouse.jpg, Coman House, built in the 1860s in Trempealeau File:Building Ruins in Trempealeau.jpg, Melchoir House ruins on the outskirts of Trempealeau File:Trempealeau Library.jpg, Trempealeau Library File:PerrotStateParkWisconsinTrempealeauMountain.jpg, Trempealeau Mountain at Perrot State Park File:GaleEttickTrempealeauHighSchoolUS53.jpg, Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau High School in Galesville File:MississippiRiverLockAndDam6.jpg, Lock and Dam No. 6 File:Trempealeau Village Hall.jpg, Trempealeau Village Hall

References

External links

Village of Trempealeau Official Website

Trempealeau.net
* Sanborn fire insurance maps
189419001910
{{authority control Villages in Trempealeau County, Wisconsin Villages in Wisconsin Archaeological sites in Wisconsin Middle Mississippian culture Wisconsin populated places on the Mississippi River