Eau Claire in Eau Claire County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Eau Claire
"Wisconsin's Second City"
Photographed By William J. Toman, June 12, 2011
1. Eau Claire Marker
Inscription.
Eau Claire grew up overnight. Lumbermen rushed to exploit its prime location at the junction of the Chippewa and Eau Claire Rivers. Gilbert Chapman and Joseph Thorpe began sawing timber on the banks of the Eau Claire River in 1857. A few miles away, the Daniel Shaw Lumber Company and Empire Lumber operated sawmills near the entrance of Half Moon Lake. Into these sawmills poured workers. Settlers and supplies arrived daily by stage or twice weekly by steamboat. By December of 1857, the population swelled to nearly 800, up from a handful the year before. Wilson, Gray and Bellinger advertised 150 lots in the west side's Eau Claire Telegraph. Chapman and Thorpe promoted 250 east-side lots in the Eau Claire Times. Fifteen years later in 1872, East, West, and North Eau Claire officially incorporated as the City of Eau Claire. Driven by the lumber boom, the population soared to nearly 22,000 by 1885. Optimistic city boosters predicted a bright future, when Eau Claire would stand as "Wisconsin's Second City," surpassed only by Milwaukee.,
Sponsored By: , West Grand Ave. Business Improvement District.
Eau Claire grew up overnight. Lumbermen rushed to exploit its prime location at the junction of the Chippewa and Eau Claire Rivers. Gilbert Chapman and Joseph Thorpe began sawing timber on the banks of the Eau Claire River in 1857. A few miles away, the Daniel Shaw Lumber Company and Empire Lumber operated sawmills near the entrance of Half Moon Lake. Into these sawmills poured workers. Settlers and supplies arrived daily by stage or twice weekly by steamboat. By December of 1857, the population swelled to nearly 800, up from a handful the year before. Wilson, Gray and Bellinger advertised 150 lots in the west side's Eau Claire Telegraph. Chapman and Thorpe promoted 250 east-side lots in the Eau Claire Times. Fifteen years later in 1872, East, West, and North Eau Claire officially incorporated as the City of Eau Claire. Driven by the lumber boom, the population soared to nearly 22,000 by 1885. Optimistic city boosters predicted a bright future, when Eau Claire would stand as "Wisconsin's Second City," surpassed only by Milwaukee.
Sponsored By: West Grand Ave. Business Improvement District
Erected by the West Grand Ave. Business Improvement District.
Location. 44° 48.578′ N, 91° 30.18′ W. Marker is in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, in Eau Claire County. Marker is at the intersection of First Avenue and Grand Avenue, on the left when traveling south on First Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Eau Claire WI 54701, United States of America. Touch for directions.
2. Closeup of 1872 Bird's-Eye View of Eau Claire on Marker
Photographed By William J. Toman, June 12, 2011
3. Eau Claire Marker
The marker is on the west end of the Grand Avenue footbridge over the Chippewa River.
Photographed By Keith L, June 10, 2011
4. View from Pedestrian Bridge
Junction of the Chippewa and Eau Claire Rivers.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on June 19, 2011, by William J. Toman of Green Lake, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 837 times since then and 40 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on June 19, 2011, by William J. Toman of Green Lake, Wisconsin. 4. submitted on June 22, 2011, by Keith L of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin.
