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Rusk County, Wisconsin

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

County Seat: Ladysmith
Year Organized: 1901
Square Miles: 913
Court House:

311 East Miner Avenue
County Courthouse
Ladysmith, WI 54848-1829

Etymology - Origin of County Name

originally named Gates in honor of John L. Gates, then a prominent Milwaukee lumberman and capitalist. It was changed (1905) to Rusk in honor of Governor Jeremiah M. Rusk (1830-93). Rusk was born in Ohio, and removed to Wisconsin in 1853, settling at Viroqua. A member of the legislature of 1861, he served in the federal army throughout the War of Secession. From 1865-67, Rusk was bank-comptroller; 1871-77, member of Congress; and 1882-89, governor of the State. Under President Benjamin Harrison, he was the first secretary of agriculture, an office wherein he was highly efficient. He died at his Viroqua home, soon after his last term of public service.

[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

County History

Rusk County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2000, the population was 15,347. Its county seat is Ladysmith. Founded in 1901, Rusk County was originally named "Gates" County. It was formed out of the northern portion of Chippewa County.

Logging was the industry that opened up the territory in 1884 and the Chippewa River. Weigor and Thornapple Rivers were a solid mass of logs being floated down river. Also, in 1884, the Soo Line was completed from the west to Bruce and many homes and business places were constructed.

Small towns developed in a line east of Bruce as the Railroad developed and soon Ladysmith boomed.

Rusk County was originally named Gates County in 1901, when it was formed out of the northern part of Chippewa County.

Ladysmith was made the county seat by the Legislature in honor of Jeremiah M. Rusk, a Civil War hero, Wisconsin Congressman, 3-term Governor of the State and the first United States Secretary of Agriculture under President Benjamin Harrison.

Farming developed slowly starting in the Bruce area where lumber-jacks acquired 40 or 80 acres, bought a cow or two, and raised food for their own use and fodder for their stock.
Rusk County consists of 936 square miles, with 24 townships, 8 villages, and 1 city.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 931 square miles (2,411 kmē), of which, 913 square miles (2,365 kmē) of it is land and 18 square miles (46 kmē) of it (1.91%) is water.

Neighboring Counties:

  • Sawyer County - north
  • Price County - east
  • Taylor County - southeast
  • Chippewa County - south
  • Barron County - west
  • Washburn County - northwest

Cities and Towns:

- Atlanta town
- Bruce village Incorporated Area
- Cedar Rapids town
- Conrath village Incorporated Area
- Flambeau town
- Glen Flora village Incorporated Area
- Grant town
- Grow town
- Hawkins village Incorporated Area
- Hubbard town
- Ingram village Incorporated Area
- Ladysmith (County Seat) city Incorporated Area
- Lawrence town
- Murry town
- Richland town
- Sheldon village Incorporated Area
- South Fork town
- Strickland town
- Stubbs town
- Thornapple town
- Tony village Incorporated Area
- True town
- Weyerhaeuser village Incorporated Area
- Wilkinson town

County Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

County Resources
Counties: US Map
The history of our nation was a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names given the counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of this 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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