Clark County

History

By the early 1800s, the land and streams that are now Clark County were the hunting grounds of the Chippewa, Dakota, Ho-Chunk, and possibly Menominee peoples. In 1836, these Indigenous groups were joined by a party of French-Canadian fur traders who established a temporary post for the American Fur Company on the East Fork of the Black River.

The next European-American arrivals were likely Mormon loggers in 1844, who came to harvest pine logs from the forests along the Black River. They floated the logs downstream to a sawmill at Black River Falls, where the lumber was processed and transported further downriver for use in constructing the Mormon temple in Nauvoo, Illinois. The Mormons established logging camps along the river at sites including Mormon Riffle (about a mile below Neillsville), near Weston's Rapids, and south of Greenwood. This logging operation likely ended by 1846, when most of the Mormons left the area following the murder of Joseph Smith.

In June 1845, James and Henry O'Neill led a party overland from Black River Falls, cutting a road through the brush. They used oxen to pull a wagon carrying tools and supplies. Upon arriving, they built a cabin on O'Neill Creek, followed by a sawmill. Lumber from the mill was rafted down the Black River to Black River Falls and then transported to Alexander O'Neill in Burlington, Iowa. However, a storm in June 1847 caused severe flooding of the Black River, destroying all the existing sawmills. Despite this setback, the settlers rebuilt.

Clark County was founded in 1853 and officially organized the following year. The county's name origin is uncertain—it was either named for A. W. Clark, an early settler, or for General George Rogers Clark.

Electricity became available in some towns and villages around 1900 through private power plants. For example, in 1902, the Paulsen mill began supplying electricity to the village of Withee. However, rural farms remained without electricity until the late 1930s. In 1937, the newly formed Clark Electric Cooperative, funded by a loan from the New Deal's Rural Electrification Administration, began installing power lines to serve the county's rural areas.

In 1920, construction began on the Clark County Asylum, located two miles east of Owen. It was the last in a network of 35 county mental hospitals established in Wisconsin, designed to provide long-term care for patients unlikely to recover. Twelve patients from the Wausau asylum assisted with construction and became the facility’s first residents. The asylum operated a farm to keep patients engaged while supplying food for the institution. By 1924, patients cultivated 60 acres of corn, 25 acres of potatoes, 16 acres of barley, 40 acres of oats, 6 acres of buckwheat, and 3 acres of millet. A dairy herd was later introduced, along with hog farming and a slaughterhouse by 1948. Over time, the institution's mission shifted from a "custodial asylum" to a "treatment hospital" and eventually to a skilled nursing facility. Today, it is known as the Clark County Rehab and Living Center.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, Clark County has a total area of 1,219 square miles (3,160 km2), of which 1,210 square miles (3,100 km2) is land and 9.0 square miles (23 km2) (0.7%) is water.

Adjacent counties

Taylor County – north

Marathon County – east

Wood County – southeast

Jackson County – south

Eau Claire County – west

Chippewa County – northwest

Railroads

Union Pacific

Watco

Canadian National

Airport

KVIQ – Neillsville Municipal Airport

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the population of Clark County was 34,659. The population density was 28.7 people per square mile (11.1 people/km2). There were 14,755 housing units at an average density of 12.2 units per square mile (4.7 units/km2).

The median age was 37.5 years. 28.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 102.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 102.4 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was:

92.2% White

0.3% Black or African American

0.5% American Indian and Alaska Native

0.3% Asian

<0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander

3.4% from some other race

3.2% from two or more races

Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 6.1% of the population.

<0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 12,768 households in the county, of which 30.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 54.0% were married-couple households, 19.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 19.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 26.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 14,755 housing units, of which 13.5% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 77.7% were owner-occupied and 22.3% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.5% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.5%.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, Clark County had a population of 33,557, with 12,047 households and 8,673 families residing in the county. The population density was 28 people per square mile (11 people/km2). There were 13,531 housing units at an average density of 11 units per square mile (4.2 units/km2).

The racial composition of the county was:

98.05% White

0.13% Black or African American

0.48% Native American

0.30% Asian

0.01% Pacific Islander

0.56% from other races

0.47% from two or more races

Additionally, 1.20% of the population identified as Hispanic or Latino of any race.

The most common ancestries reported were:

54.0% German

9.0% Polish

6.2% Norwegian

6.1% American

In terms of language, 6.62% of residents spoke German, Pennsylvania Dutch, or Dutch at home, while an additional 1.34% spoke Spanish.

There were 12,047 households, of which:

35.0% had children under 18 living with them

61.2% were married couples living together

6.5% had a female householder with no husband present

Religion

In 2010, the largest religious groups by reported number of adherents in Clark County were:

Catholicism: 9,535 adherents

Missouri Synod Lutheranism: 2,459 adherents

ELCA Lutheranism: 2,281 adherents

Amish: 1,986 adherents

United Church of Christ: 959 adherents

Wisconsin Synod Lutheran: 891 adherents

United Methodist: 577 adherents.

Communities

Villages

Curtiss

Dorchester (partly in Marathon County)

Granton

Unity (mostly in Marathon County)

Withee

Census-designated places

Chili

Humbird

Ghost towns/neighborhoods

Kurth

Maple Works

Romeo

Trow

Worden

In 2013, there were 16 Amish church districts in Clark County.

Politics

Clark County has leaned Republican for much of its history, but it has voted for Democrats 6 times since 1950. The last Democrat to win the county was Barack Obama in 2008, and since then it has trended strongly Republican in every election. In 2020 and 2024, Donald Trump won the highest share of the vote for a Republican since Dwight Eisenhower's 1952 landslide.

Education

School districts include: