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Owen, Wisconsin
The old downtown, looking north up Central Avenue toward the Owen Company's Woodland Hotel
The old downtown, looking north up Central Avenue toward the Owen Company's Woodland Hotel
Location of Owen in Clark County, Wisconsin.
Location of Owen in Clark County, Wisconsin.
Country  United States
State  Wisconsin
County Clark
Area
 • Total 2.41 sq mi (6.24 km2)
 • Land 2.33 sq mi (6.04 km2)
 • Water 0.08 sq mi (0.20 km2)
Elevation
1,243 ft (379 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total 940
 • Estimate 
(2019)
928
 • Density 397.77/sq mi (153.55/km2)
Time zone UTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code(s) 715 & 534
FIPS code 55-60825
GNIS feature ID 1577195

Owen is a city in Clark County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 940 at the 2010 census. Owen is located directly east of the village of Withee, which is about half the size of Owen.

History

In 1880 the Wisconsin Central Railroad built its line through what would become Owen, on its way from Abbotsford to Chippewa Falls.

In 1893 the John S. Owen Company of Eau Claire managed to buy from J.D. Spaulding 400 square miles of virgin timber that ran from the current site of Owen north through Taylor County and into Rusk County. Near where the railroad crossed Brick Creek and that creek flowed into the Popple River, the company built a warehouse, a boarding house, and five log buildings clustered around the rail line. They dammed Brick Creek to make a mill pond and built a sawmill, a planing mill, and a company store. A one-room school was built in 1894. Early on, John's son Aloney moved to the settlement to oversee local operations.

In 1904 the Village of Owen incorporated, with 315 people. In 1906 the Owen Company started the Owen Box and Crating factory and the Woodland Hotel. In 1907 the Owens organized the State Bank of Owen, headed by J.G. Owen.

Panorama of community above buildings
Bird's eye view of Owen in 1912

By 1914, Owen's population was 1,000. The Owens organized the State Bank of Withee, headed by A.R. Owen. The Owens also had a hand in a bottling works, a theater, a telephone company, and three hotels. They donated land for a city park and churches. In 1915 the company opened a retail lumber store.

By 1918 the Owen Company was running 25 miles of railroad in Clark and Taylor Counties, hauling logs from their timber holdings in to their sawmill. At one point they thought their supply might last for five or six years, but it ended up lasting 40. The last log was sawed in 1932.

Geography

Owen is located at 44°56′54″N 90°33′53″W / 44.94833°N 90.56472°W / 44.94833; -90.56472 (44.948330, -90.564740).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.84 square miles (4.77 km2), of which, 1.77 square miles (4.58 km2) is land and 0.07 square miles (0.18 km2) is water.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1910 745
1920 1,083 45.4%
1930 1,102 1.8%
1940 1,083 −1.7%
1950 1,034 −4.5%
1960 1,098 6.2%
1970 1,031 −6.1%
1980 998 −3.2%
1990 895 −10.3%
2000 936 4.6%
2010 940 0.4%
2019 (est.) 928 −1.3%
U.S. Decennial Census

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 940 people, 419 households, and 252 families living in the city. The population density was 531.1 inhabitants per square mile (205.1/km2). There were 485 housing units at an average density of 274.0 per square mile (105.8/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 96.7% White, 0.5% African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 2.0% from other races, and 0.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.8% of the population.

There were 419 households, of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.4% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 7.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.9% were non-families. 35.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.87.

The median age in the city was 40.4 years. 23.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.1% were from 25 to 44; 25.5% were from 45 to 64; and 19.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.2% male and 51.8% female.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Owen (Wisconsin) para niños

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