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Trempealeau County, Wisconsin
Arcadia Free Public Library NRHP 94000388 Trempeleau County, WI
Carnegie library in Arcadia, Wisconsin.
Map of Wisconsin highlighting Trempealeau County
Location in the state of Wisconsin
Map of the U.S
Wisconsin's location in the U.S.
Founded 1855
Named for Trempealeau River
Seat Whitehall
Largest city Arcadia
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Water

742 sq mi (1,922 km²)
733 sq mi (1,898 km²)
9.0 sq mi (23 km²), 1.2%
Population
 - (2020)
 - Density

30,760
Congressional district 3rd
Time zone Central: UTC-6/-5
Website www.tremplocounty.com

Trempealeau County ( /ˈtrɛm.pə.l/, TREM--loh) is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,760.[1] Its county seat is Whitehall.[2] Many people of Polish, Norwegian and German descent live in this area.

History[]

Patches of woodland are all that remain of the brush and light forest that once covered the county. In ancient times, the woodlands contained a great deal of timber, but Native Americans burned them periodically to encourage the growth of berries. They did little cultivation and had been almost completely removed from the area by 1837.[3]

French fur traders were the first Europeans to enter this land, traveling by river across the county. At the mouth of the Trempealeau River at its confluence with the Mississippi River, they found a bluff surrounded by water and called it La Montagne qui trempe à l’eau ("mountain steeped in water"). It is now known as Trempealeau Mountain.[4][5] The name was later shortened to Trempealeau.[6] Created in 1854 and organized in 1855,[7] the county is named after the river.[8]

During the 19th and 20th century large numbers of Norwegian immigrants settled in the area in pursuit of cheap land, a better life and more opportunities. Much of the population is still of Norwegian descent and celebrate their ancestry by making foods native to Norway and participating in Norwegian Constitution Day events.

Geography[]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 742 square miles (1,920 km2), of which 733 square miles (1,900 km2) is land and 9.0 square miles (23 km2) (1.2%) is water.[9] It is part of the Driftless Zone.

Adjacent counties[]

Major highways[]

  • I-94 Interstate 94
  • US 10 U.S. Highway 10
  • US 53 U.S. Highway 53
  • WIS 35 Highway 35 (Wisconsin)
  • WIS 54 Highway 54 (Wisconsin)
  • WIS 93 Highway 93 (Wisconsin)
  • WIS 95 Highway 95 (Wisconsin)
  • WIS 121 Highway 121 (Wisconsin)

Railroads[]

  • BNSF
  • Canadian National

Buses[]

  • List of intercity bus stops in Wisconsin

National protected areas[]

  • Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge (part)
  • Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge (part)

Demographics[]

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1860 2,560
1870 10,732 319.2%
1880 17,189 60.2%
1890 18,920 10.1%
1900 23,114 22.2%
1910 22,928 −0.8%
1920 24,506 6.9%
1930 23,910 −2.4%
1940 24,381 2.0%
1950 23,730 −2.7%
1960 23,377 −1.5%
1970 23,344 −0.1%
1980 26,158 12.1%
1990 25,263 −3.4%
2000 27,010 6.9%
2010 28,816 6.7%
U.S. Decennial Census[10]
1790–1960[11] 1900–1990[12]
1990–2000[13] 2010–2020[14]
USA Trempealeau County, Wisconsin age pyramid

2000 Census Age Pyramid for Trempealeau County

As of the census[15] of 2000, there were 27,010 people, 10,747 households, and 7,243 families residing in the county. The population density was 37 inhabitants per square mile (14 /km2). There were 11,482 housing units at an average density of 16 per square mile (6/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 98.81% White, 0.13% Black or African American, 0.17% Native American, 0.13% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.29% from other races, and 0.47% from two or more races. 0.89% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 43.5% were of Norwegian, 24.6% German and 17.0% Polish ancestry. 94.9% spoke English, 1.6% Norwegian and 1.6% Spanish as their first language.

There were 10,747 households, out of which 31.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.20% were married couples living together, 7.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.60% were non-families. 27.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.30% under the age of 18, 6.90% from 18 to 24, 28.20% from 25 to 44, 23.10% from 45 to 64, and 16.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 100.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.80 males.

In 2017, there were 450 births, giving a general fertility rate of 93.1 births per 1000 women aged 15–44, the third highest rate out of all 72 Wisconsin counties.[16]

Gallery[]

Communities[]

Cities[]

  • Arcadia
  • Blair
  • Galesville
  • Independence
  • Osseo
  • Whitehall (county seat)

Villages[]

  • Eleva
  • Ettrick
  • Pigeon Falls
  • Strum
  • Trempealeau

Towns[]

  • Albion
  • Arcadia
  • Burnside
  • Caledonia
  • Chimney Rock
  • Dodge
  • Ettrick
  • Gale
  • Hale
  • Lincoln
  • Pigeon
  • Preston
  • Sumner
  • Trempealeau
  • Unity

Census-designated place[]

  • Dodge

Unincorporated communities[]

  • Beaches Corners
  • Butman Corners
  • Chapultepee
  • Centerville
  • Coral City
  • Dewey Corners
  • Elk Creek
  • Frenchville
  • Hale
  • Hegg
  • Iduna
  • North Creek
  • Pine Creek
  • Pleasantville
  • Russell
  • Tamarack
  • Upper French Creek
  • West Prairie
  • Wrights Corners

Ghost towns/neighborhoods[]

  • Cortland
  • New City
  • Williamsburg

Politics[]

United States presidential election results for Trempealeau County, Wisconsin[17]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 8,833 57.43% 6,285 40.86% 262 1.70%
2016 7,366 53.82% 5,636 41.18% 685 5.00%
2012 5,707 42.33% 7,605 56.41% 169 1.25%
2008 4,808 36.11% 8,321 62.50% 185 1.39%
2004 5,878 41.80% 8,075 57.42% 109 0.78%
2000 5,002 41.11% 6,678 54.88% 488 4.01%
1996 3,035 28.12% 5,848 54.18% 1,911 17.70%
1992 3,577 27.49% 6,218 47.79% 3,217 24.72%
1988 4,902 43.87% 6,212 55.59% 61 0.55%
1984 6,008 52.24% 5,407 47.02% 85 0.74%
1980 5,992 49.52% 5,390 44.54% 719 5.94%
1976 5,341 45.56% 6,218 53.05% 163 1.39%
1972 5,723 56.69% 4,232 41.92% 140 1.39%
1968 4,861 50.69% 3,971 41.41% 757 7.89%
1964 3,264 34.04% 6,320 65.91% 5 0.05%
1960 5,539 51.38% 5,223 48.45% 19 0.18%
1956 5,476 54.25% 4,602 45.59% 16 0.16%
1952 6,501 61.63% 4,021 38.12% 26 0.25%
1948 3,650 43.13% 4,711 55.67% 102 1.21%
1944 4,719 51.06% 4,496 48.65% 27 0.29%
1940 5,319 50.28% 5,175 48.92% 85 0.80%
1936 3,339 33.96% 5,929 60.30% 564 5.74%
1932 2,874 32.81% 5,786 66.06% 99 1.13%
1928 5,596 64.97% 2,963 34.40% 54 0.63%
1924 2,083 31.26% 373 5.60% 4,208 63.15%
1920 4,748 84.24% 718 12.74% 170 3.02%
1916 2,138 56.04% 1,578 41.36% 99 2.60%
1912 1,763 44.66% 1,235 31.28% 950 24.06%
1908 3,733 75.31% 1,085 21.89% 139 2.80%
1904 3,560 75.54% 981 20.81% 172 3.65%
1900 3,364 71.23% 1,190 25.20% 169 3.58%
1896 3,306 67.66% 1,394 28.53% 186 3.81%
1892 2,116 53.54% 1,521 38.49% 315 7.97%



See also[]

  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Trempealeau County, Wisconsin

References[]

  1. ^ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named census
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. 
  3. ^ Gamroth, 1976, p. 5, 87
  4. ^ "Trempealeau County Marking 100th Anniversary on Sunday". The Winona Republican-Herald: p. 5. January 23, 1954. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/1154088/100th_anniversary_of_trempealeau_county/.  open access
  5. ^ "Judge Gale Led Legislative Drive to Recognize Area". The Winona Republican-Herald: p. 5. January 23, 1954. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/1154073/origin_of_trempealeau_county/.  open access
  6. ^ Elkins, 1985, p.1
  7. ^ "Wisconsin: Individual County Chronologies". The Newberry Library. 2007. http://publications.newberry.org/ahcbp/documents/WI_Individual_County_Chronologies.htm. 
  8. ^ "Winnebago Took Its Name from an Indian Tribe". The Post-Crescent: p. 14. December 28, 1963. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/915335/wisconsin_county_names/.  open access
  9. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. http://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/counties_list_55.txt. 
  10. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html. 
  11. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu. 
  12. ^ Forstall, Richard L., ed (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/wi190090.txt. 
  13. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf. 
  14. ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/55/55121.html. 
  15. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov. 
  16. ^ "Annual Wisconsin Birth and Infant Mortality Report, 2017 P-01161-19 (June 2019): Detailed Tables". https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/publication/p01161-2019-tb.xlsx. 
  17. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS. 

Further reading[]

External links[]

Coordinates: 44°18′N 91°21′W / 44.30, -91.35

This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia. The original content was at Trempealeau County, Wisconsin. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with this Familypedia wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons License.
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