Ladysmith, Wisconsin
Encyclopedia
Ladysmith is a city in Rusk County
, Wisconsin
, United States
. The population was 3,932 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat
of Rusk County
. It is the former location of Mount Senario College
, which closed in 2002 due to significant debt. For the 2006-2007 school year, part of the former campus was operated as Concordia Preparatory School, a private Christian high school. That institution also faced financial problems and closed. Silver Lake College
of Manitowoc, Wisconsin
began offering courses at Mount Senario, renamed "Mount Senario Education Center", beginning September, 2009. A tornado
hit Ladysmith on Labor Day in 2002.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 4.3 square miles (11.1 km²), of which, 3.9 square miles (10.1 km²) of it is land and 0.4 square miles (1.0 km²) of it (8.67%) is water.
of 2000, there were 3,932 people, 1,570 households, and 916 families residing in the city. The population density
was 1,008.9 people per square mile (389.3/km²). There were 1,660 housing units at an average density of 425.9 per square mile (164.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.31% White, 1.48% African American, 0.56% Native American, 0.48% Asian, 0.13% Pacific Islander, 0.10% from other races
, and 0.94% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.76% of the population.
There were 1,570 households out of which 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.4% were married couples
living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.6% were non-families. 35.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.92.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.8% under the age of 18, 13.4% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 18.7% from 45 to 64, and 21.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 87.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $28,274, and the median income for a family was $40,526. Males had a median income of $26,725 versus $20,826 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $15,499. About 7.2% of families and 12.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.1% of those under age 18 and 11.0% of those age 65 or over.
(Soo Line) with the Flambeau River
in 1885, as "Flambeau Falls" after the Ojibwa
name for the area Gakaabikijiwanan ("of cliffed rapids"). Robert Corbett
, a logging and lumbering entrepreneur, held the dominant influence on city in its early years, first renamed as "Corbett", then to "Warner" in 1891, and then to the present name on July 1, 1900, after the bride of Charles R. Smith, head of the Menasha Wooden Ware Co.
rated at F3 strength
destroyed much of Ladysmith's downtown area. The tornado touched down approximately at 4:20 pm CDT about one and one half miles (2 km) west southwest of downtown Ladysmith. The tornado was initially ranked an F0, but strengthened to an F2 at the intersection of highways 8 and 27 on the west side of town. The tornado further intensified to F3 just east of the railroad tracks near the Baptist church, and proceeded to tear up the downtown business area. The tornado remained at F3 strength for about a mile, before weakening to a F1 as it exited the east side of town.
The tornado remained on the ground for about 15 miles (25 km) and moved at about 30 mile per hour. The tornado was one quarter of a mile wide (400 m) at its widest point. It finally lifted off around 4:50 pm CDT, about two miles south of the village of Ingram
. Overall damage was estimated at $20 million (USD).
, so rich that the ore was shipped directly to the smelter.
Mining in Wisconsin was very controversial. Several nearby deposits were discovered, but remain unexpoited. Flambeau has since been permanently closed and the site reclaimed.
Rusk County, Wisconsin
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....
, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 3,932 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Rusk County
Rusk County, Wisconsin
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....
. It is the former location of Mount Senario College
Mount Senario College
Mount Senario College was a private non-profit college located in Ladysmith, Wisconsin, in the Diocese of Superior.-Early history:...
, which closed in 2002 due to significant debt. For the 2006-2007 school year, part of the former campus was operated as Concordia Preparatory School, a private Christian high school. That institution also faced financial problems and closed. Silver Lake College
Silver Lake College
Silver Lake College is a four-year, Catholic liberal arts college located in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, in the Diocese of Green Bay. Founded as an academy in 1885 by the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity, the college achieved four-year college status in 1935 and was then called Holy Family College...
of Manitowoc, Wisconsin
Manitowoc, Wisconsin
Manitowoc is a city in and the county seat of Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, United States. The city is located on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Manitowoc River. According to the 2000 census, Manitowoc had a population of 34,053, with over 50,000 residents in the surrounding communities...
began offering courses at Mount Senario, renamed "Mount Senario Education Center", beginning September, 2009. A tornado
Tornado
A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...
hit Ladysmith on Labor Day in 2002.
Geography
Ladysmith is located at 45°27′50"N 91°6′0"W.According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 4.3 square miles (11.1 km²), of which, 3.9 square miles (10.1 km²) of it is land and 0.4 square miles (1.0 km²) of it (8.67%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 3,932 people, 1,570 households, and 916 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,008.9 people per square mile (389.3/km²). There were 1,660 housing units at an average density of 425.9 per square mile (164.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.31% White, 1.48% African American, 0.56% Native American, 0.48% Asian, 0.13% Pacific Islander, 0.10% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.94% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.76% of the population.
There were 1,570 households out of which 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.4% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.6% were non-families. 35.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.92.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.8% under the age of 18, 13.4% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 18.7% from 45 to 64, and 21.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 87.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $28,274, and the median income for a family was $40,526. Males had a median income of $26,725 versus $20,826 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $15,499. About 7.2% of families and 12.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.1% of those under age 18 and 11.0% of those age 65 or over.
History
The city was founded at the intersection of the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie RailroadMinneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad
The Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad was a Class I railroad subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway in the Midwest U.S. Commonly known as the Soo Line after the phonetic spelling of Sault, it was merged with several other major CP subsidiaries on January 1, 1961 to form the...
(Soo Line) with the Flambeau River
Flambeau River
The Flambeau River is a tributary of the Chippewa River in northern Wisconsin, USA. It drains an area of and descends from an elevation of approximately to above sea level. The Flambeau is an important recreational destination in the region. It is notable among canoeists in the Midwestern USA...
in 1885, as "Flambeau Falls" after the Ojibwa
Ojibwa
The Ojibwe or Chippewa are among the largest groups of Native Americans–First Nations north of Mexico. They are divided between Canada and the United States. In Canada, they are the third-largest population among First Nations, surpassed only by Cree and Inuit...
name for the area Gakaabikijiwanan ("of cliffed rapids"). Robert Corbett
Robert Corbett
Robert Alfred Corbett was a member of the Canadian House of Commons from 1978 to 1993. His background was in business....
, a logging and lumbering entrepreneur, held the dominant influence on city in its early years, first renamed as "Corbett", then to "Warner" in 1891, and then to the present name on July 1, 1900, after the bride of Charles R. Smith, head of the Menasha Wooden Ware Co.
2002 tornado
On September 2, 2002, a tornadoTornado
A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...
rated at F3 strength
Fujita scale
The Fujita scale , or Fujita-Pearson scale, is a scale for rating tornado intensity, based primarily on the damage tornadoes inflict on human-built structures and vegetation...
destroyed much of Ladysmith's downtown area. The tornado touched down approximately at 4:20 pm CDT about one and one half miles (2 km) west southwest of downtown Ladysmith. The tornado was initially ranked an F0, but strengthened to an F2 at the intersection of highways 8 and 27 on the west side of town. The tornado further intensified to F3 just east of the railroad tracks near the Baptist church, and proceeded to tear up the downtown business area. The tornado remained at F3 strength for about a mile, before weakening to a F1 as it exited the east side of town.
The tornado remained on the ground for about 15 miles (25 km) and moved at about 30 mile per hour. The tornado was one quarter of a mile wide (400 m) at its widest point. It finally lifted off around 4:50 pm CDT, about two miles south of the village of Ingram
Ingram, Wisconsin
Ingram is a village in Rusk County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 76 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Ingram is located at ....
. Overall damage was estimated at $20 million (USD).
Flambeau Mine
The Flambeau Copper Mine was operated by Kennecott from 1993 to 1997. This was a very rich volcanogenic massive sulfide ore depositVolcanogenic massive sulfide ore deposit
Volcanogenic massive sulfide ore deposits are a type of metal sulfide ore deposit, mainly Cu-Zn-Pb which are associated with and created by volcanic-associated hydrothermal events in submarine environments....
, so rich that the ore was shipped directly to the smelter.
Mining in Wisconsin was very controversial. Several nearby deposits were discovered, but remain unexpoited. Flambeau has since been permanently closed and the site reclaimed.
Notable people
- Gary BeechamGary Beecham-Education, work:Beecham’s art education was taken at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he was awarded a Bachelor of Science in Art in 1979. He worked for a year in 1978 at the J. & L. Lobmeyr glassworks in Vienna, Austria before returning to the United States to settle in Spruce...
, artist - Lois Capps, member of the United States House of RepresentativesUnited States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area... - Jim LeonhardJim LeonhardJames Andrew "Jim" Leonhard is an American football safety for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He was originally signed by the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent in 2005. Leohnard has also played for the Baltimore Ravens...
, NFL player - Earl MavesEarl MavesEarl Maves is a former player in the National Football League. He was a member of the Detroit Lions during the 1948 NFL season.-References:...
, NFL player - Mike NewkirkMike Newkirk-St. Louis Rams:On April 27, 2009, he was signed as an undrafted free agent by the St. Louis Rams. Newkirk was waived by the Rams on May 14, 2009.-Edmonton Eskimos:...
, football player - Martin ReynoldsMartin Reynolds (Wisconsin politician)Martin 'Marty' Reynolds is a Wisconsin politician and legislator.Born in Ladysmith, Wisconsin, Reynolds served in the United States Air Force and was a plumbing contractor. He served as mayor of Ladysmith. In 1990, Reynolds was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly...
, mayor of Ladysmith, Wisconsin State Assembly - Donald J. HoffmanDonald J. HoffmanGeneral Donald Joseph Hoffman, USAF is the 7th and current Commander, Air Force Materiel Command. He previously served as Military Deputy, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition from August 2005 to November 20, 2008...
, Air Force 4-star general, Commander of Air Force Material Command, Wright-Patterson AFB OH - Ron KovicRon KovicRonald Lawrence Kovic is an anti-war activist, veteran and writer who was paralyzed in the Vietnam War. He is best known as the author of the memoir Born on the Fourth of July, which was made into an Academy Award–winning movie directed by Oliver Stone, with Tom Cruise playing Kovic...
, author, Vietnam WarVietnam WarThe Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
veteran
External links
- Ladysmith Chamber of Commerce
- Ladysmith, WI Facebook Page
- Rusk County, Wisconsin
- Flambeau Mine reclaimed
- Ladysmith, Wisconsin is at coordinates 45°27′50"N 91°6′0"W.