Black River Falls, Wisconsin

Falls of the Black River

Black River Falls was founded to utilize the waterpower of the Black River. As the area was predominantly forest at the time, its primary use was in operating sawmills.

A large monument to Black River Falls' veterans of World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, as well as to local Medal of Honor recipient Mitchell Red Cloud, Jr., was erected near the Chamber of Commerce Building at 101 S. 2nd Street. Named the "Field of Honor", the attached plaques provide accounts of the veterans' services. This site is also the start of the four-mile (6.5 km) Foundation Trail, a signed hiking and bike path that circles the eastern part of the community.

Black River Falls is the focus of Michael Lesy's book Wisconsin Death Trip (1973), which used photographs and newspaper cuttings to highlight the harshness of life in the community during the late nineteenth century and the effects it had on the psychology of the inhabitants.

Black River Falls is located at 44°17′50″N 90°50′57″W (44.297166, -90.849263).[8] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.20 square miles (10.88 km²), of which, 4.10 square miles (10.62 km²) is land and 0.10 square miles (0.26 km²) is water.[9]

The city is located on the falls of the Black River at the northeast edge of the Driftless Area, where the river cuts through a region of granite.[10] The falls are covered by a hydroelectric dam, forming the 200-acre (0.81 km²) Black River Flowage.[11]

Courthouse

City Hall, located at 101 S. 2nd St, houses the mayor, Jay Eddy; the city administrator, Brad Chown; deputy city clerks and treasurers; the Parks and Recreation Department and the Police Department. Offices for Jackson County are located on Main Street.[13]

While the logging and lumber industry is still present in the area, the current economy leans heavily on agriculture and tourism. Several locations support the tourism industry. Lake Arbutus, a 839-acre (3.40 km²) impoundment of the river, lies several miles northeast, as does the multi-use Levis/Trow trail system. Black River Falls is home to a casino and hotel operated by the Ho-Chunk Nation. Much of the surrounding land is part of the Black River State Forest.[14]

In April 2018, PriceLand Hemp, the first all-hemp store in Wisconsin, opened. After the legalization of industrial hemp in Wisconsin, it was projected the business would bring 60 jobs to the local area within the first few months.[15][16][17]

Former high school

Black River Falls High School, the city's public high school located on the southwestern edge of town, is administered by the Black River Falls School District. The former high school, in the center of the city, has been converted to apartments. Western Technical College offers classes in the city.

Black River Falls has one newspaper called "The Banner Journal" Local stations WWIS-FM 99.7 FM WWIS 1260 AM

Far-away stations WXYM 96.1 FM

Black River Falls is the focus of Michael Lesy's book Wisconsin Death Trip (1973), which used photographs and newspaper cuttings to highlight the harshness of life in the community during the late nineteenth century and the effects it had on the psychology of the inhabitants. The book was made into a film in 1999, which included scenes from the community as it appeared then.

Lesy drew on the work of Charles Van Schaick, a photographer in Black River Falls between the 1870s and 1930s. Van Schaick made portraits of the Ho-Chunk (Winnebago) people in the area in his commercial studio in downtown Black River Falls. His photographs are now housed at the Wisconsin Historical Society and were the subject of a book, People of the Big Voice, published in 2011.[18]

The Black River Falls area is home to a large population of the endangered Karner Blue butterfly.[19] The city celebrates with the Karner Blue Butterfly Festival held annually on the third Saturday of July.

• 
  Black River Falls High School
• 
  Black River Falls Public Library; the former library is now a museum
• 
  Current library
• 
  Panorama looking east
• 
  City hall
• 
  Post office
• 
  Looking east in downtown Black River Falls
• 
  Sign along US12 / WIS 27
• 
  Western Technical College campus

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Black River Falls, Wisconsin.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Black River Falls.

• Black River Falls government website
• Black River Area Chamber of Commerce
• Sanborn fire insurance maps: 1884 1892 1902 1909 1914