Dunn County, Wisconsin

Dunn County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

County Seat: Menomonie
Year Organized: 1854
Square Miles: 852

Court House:

800 Wilson Avenue
County Courthouse
Menomonie, WI 54751-2739

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Dunn County was named in honor of Charles Dunn, first chief justice of Wisconsin Territory -- Gannett, Place Names, p. 98.

Charles Dunn (1799-1872) was born in Kentucky, where he studied law, but was admitted to the bar (1820) in Illinois. During his residence in that state he served as captain in the Black Hawk War, wherein he was accidentally shot by a sentinel. In 1829 he assisted in laying out the plat of Chicago. Appointed chief justice of Wisconsin Territory in 1836, he served throughout the Territorial era, also acting as member of the second State constitutional convention. In 1852-53 he was State senator from Lafayette County, and died at his home at Belmont (now Leslie), in that county.

[Source: Kellogg, Louise Phelps. "Derivation of County Names" in Proceedings of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin for 1909, pages 219-231.]

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

History

DUNN.
From: Handbook of Wisconsin by S. Silas, 1855
pg. 68-69

A new County, lying on the Chippewa and Red Cedar Rivers, not thickly settled, well watered and generally good soil, having a due proportion of timber, prairie and openings. Hay River, in the northern part of the County, a branch of Red Cedar, has pine upon its banks, and saw mills are now running. Pine is also cut on the Eau Galle. The resources of this County have not yet begun to be developed.

Most of the land is yet in the hands of Government, and affords rare chance to th immigrant for investment. Part of the County lies in Willow River and part in La Crosse Land Districts.

Kansas, a new village on Lake Pepin, is the largest place, and already contains a population of 300.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 864 square miles (2,238 km²), of which, 852 square miles (2,207 km²) of it is land and 12 square miles (31 km²) of it (1.38%) is water.

Neighboring Counties:

Barron County - north
Chippewa County - east
Eau Claire County - southeast
Pepin County - south
Pierce County - southwest
St. Croix County - west
Polk County - northwest

Cities and Towns:

- Boyceville	village	Incorporated Area
- Colfax	village	Incorporated Area
- Downing	village	Incorporated Area
- Dunn	town
- Eau Galle	town
- Elk Mound	village	Incorporated Area
- Grant	town
- Hay River	town
- Knapp	village	Incorporated Area
- Lucas	town
- Menomonie (County Seat)	city	Incorporated Area
- Mondovi	city	Incorporated Area
- Otter Creek	town
- Peru	town
- Red Cedar	town
- Ridgeland	village	Incorporated Area
- Rock Creek	town
- Rock Falls	town
- Rusk	town
- Sand Creek	town
- Sheridan	town
- Spring Brook	town
- Tainter	town
- Tiffany	town
- Wheeler	village	Incorporated Area

County Resources:

Dunn County History

County Resource Guide

Counties: US Map

The history of our nation can be seen as a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names we've given our counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of our country!"

But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.

Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally, act locally."

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