Polk County, Wisconsin

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

County Seat: Balsam Lake
Year Organized: 1853
Square Miles: 917

Court House:

100 Polk County Plaza, Suite 170
County Courthouse
Balsam Lake, WI 54810-9082

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Named in honor of President James K. Polk -

Hist. No. Wis., p. 722.

[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

Located in the heart of Indianhead country in northwestern Wisconsin, Polk County offers a diversity of attractions to the visitor - as well as to its residents. The St. Croix Wild and Scenic Riverway forms its western boundary, and the river bluffs abruptly give way to rolling countryside. The land is dotted with lakes and flows with rivers that offer swimming, fishing, boating, kayaking and canoeing. Interstate State Park is Wisconsin's first state park at St. Croix Falls. It is a splendid testimonial to the era of volcanoes and glaciers that formed this place, the magnificent Dalles of the river presenting the terminus of Wisconsin's Ice Age Trail. The park headquarters presents an overview of the natural forces that formed this land. Also in the park is mute testimony to one of the dreams that brought early settlers to this place . . . . a failed attempt to mine copper in the latter 1800's. But it was logging and lumbering that were primary attractions in what became Polk County . . . . the lush pine forests upriver and the awesome power of the Falls of the St. Croix River bringing the first settlers as early as 1837, even while this land was still home to the Chippewa Indians.
Legal settlement started at St. Croix Falls in 1838, making this the oldest community in the St. Croix River Valley. A few miles south, Osceola Mills grew around grain milling and steamboat building enterprises. The lovely Cascade Falls graces the heart of downtown Osceola and today a historic train ride attraction offered to visitors, is reminiscent of the day when the first railroad reached across the river into Polk County in 1883. Eventually, trails and roads led to fledgling farming and dairying communities to the east, and to placid lakeside resorts.

Daniel Greysolon, Sieur du Lhut (Duluth) and his four French-Canadian companions are recognized as the first white persons to traverse the St. Croix River in 1680, to visit what would eventually, in 1787 become part of the Northwest Territory, then the "Territory of Wiskonsan,) in 1836, and the State of Wisconsin in 1848. In 1853, Polk County was carved out of what had previously been known as St. Croix County. It was named in honor of James K. Polk, the eleventh president of the United States. At that time it included far more territory than its present 700,000 acres with new counties being formed to the north and east.

Description from John W. Hunt's 1853 Wisconsin Gazetteer: "POLK, County. By an act of the legislature approved March 14, 1853, all that portion of St. Croix county lying north of the line between township 31 and 32, was set off into a separate county, to be called and known as the county of Polk. It is therefore bounded on the north by La Pointe, on the east by Chippewa, on the south by Chippewa and St. Croix, and on the west by the Territory of Minnesota, from which it is separated by the river St. Croix. It is mostly a lumber country, though the southern part contains a large area of excellent farming lands. The village of St. Croix Falls, the county seat, situated at the head of steamboat navigation on St. Croix river, is surrounded with excellent agricultural lands, and with the business naturally centreing there of the extensive pineries above, must be a town of considerable importance. This county is to be fully organized during the present year, and will form a part of the sixth judicial circuit. The representation will continue as before the division of St. Croix."

POLK.
From: Handbook of Wisconsin by S. Silas, 1855
pg. 94-95

This County comprises the northern part of the old County of St. Croix, and embraces on area of territory of about 2,600 square miles. But a very small portion of the county has been settled, a large portion of good farming and timber lands being yet in possession of Government. The general characteristics of the southern part are about the same as the rest of the St. Croix Valley, there being however, more wood and pine lands than in Pierce or St. Croix Counties. There is not so much prairie, but the country is ore diversified having timber, prairie and openings all over the southern part.

The central portion of the County, for the space of about one hundred square miles is nearly covered with heavy timber, consisting mostly of maple, butternut, and oak, watered by countless numbers of small lakes, full of fish. The region affords ample scope for the lovers of angling, in the abundance of trout, and other fish.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 956 square miles (2,477 km²), of which, 917 square miles (2,376 km²) of it is land and 39 square miles (101 km²) of it (4.08%) is water.

Neighboring Counties:

Burnett County - north
Barron County - east
Dunn County - southeast
St. Croix County - south
Washington County, Minnesota - southwest
Chisago County, Minnesota - west

Cities and Towns:

- Amery	city	Incorporated Area
- Apple River	town
- Arland	town
- Balsam Lake (County Seat)	village	Incorporated Area
- Black Brook	town
- Bone Lake	town
- Centuria	village	Incorporated Area
- Clam Falls	town
- Clayton	village	Incorporated Area
- Clear Lake	village	Incorporated Area
- Dresser	village	Incorporated Area
- Frederic	village	Incorporated Area
- Garfield	town
- Georgetown	town
- Johnstown	town
- Laketown	town
- Lincoln	town
- Little Falls	town
- Lorain	town
- Luck	village	Incorporated Area
- McKinley	town
- Milltown	village	Incorporated Area
- New Haven	town
- Osceola	village	Incorporated Area
- St. Croix Falls	city	Incorporated Area
- Star Prairie	village	Incorporated Area
- Sterling	town
- Trade Lake	town
- Turtle Lake	village	Incorporated Area
- West Sweden	town

County Resources:

Polk County

County Resource Guide

Counties: US Map

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