Bear Creek, Outagamie County, Wisconsin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bear Creek Welcome (1898–1915)
Village
Location of Bear Creek in Outagamie County, Wisconsin.
Country	United States
State	Wisconsin
County	Outagamie
Area
• Total	0.92 sq mi (2.39 km2)
• Land	0.92 sq mi (2.39 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Population  (2010)
• Total	448
• Estimate  (2019)	438
• Density	475.05/sq mi (183.42/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP codes	54922
Area codes	Area codes 715 and 534
FIPS code	55-05575
GNIS feature ID	1582769
Website	https://villageofbearcreek.net

Bear Creek is a small village in Outagamie County, Wisconsin, United States. In 2010, the village had a population of 448 people.

History of Bear Creek

The story of Bear Creek began in 1850. A lumberman named Captain Welcome Hyde set up a lumber camp here. He was the first to cut a road into this area. The camp was located along the Embarrass River.

Railroad and Early Growth

A railroad line was built through the area in 1878. This was the Milwaukee, Lake Shore, and Western Railroad. It later became part of the Chicago and North Western Railway. The railroad brought passenger and freight service to Bear Creek. Captain Hyde built a store near the railroad, which became known as Bear Creek Station.

In 1885, land was officially planned for the community. It was named Bear Creek after a nearby stream. In 1898, the community and its post office changed their name to Welcome. This new name honored Captain Hyde.

Becoming a Village

In June 1902, people started working to make Welcome an official village. A big fire happened on July 11, 1902. It destroyed most of the businesses in town. This happened partly because the community did not have a fire department.

The day after the fire, people voted on becoming a village. The vote passed with 65 votes for and 15 against. This is how the Village of Welcome was officially created. The fire helped the community realize they needed better services.

Name Change and Railroad's End

The village's name was changed back to Bear Creek on July 2, 1915. This was approved by the Wisconsin Legislature. The change happened because having different names for the village and the railroad station caused confusion.

The Chicago and North Western Railway stopped using its tracks through Bear Creek in 1982. These were the same tracks built in 1878 that helped the village grow. After the tracks were removed, the land was not used for other purposes.

Geography of Bear Creek

Bear Creek is located at coordinates 44.529649 degrees North and -88.726849 degrees West.

The United States Census Bureau states that the village covers about 0.92 square miles (2.39 square kilometers). All of this area is land.

Population Information

2010 Census Details

In 2010, the village had 448 people living in 155 households. There were 114 families among these households. The population density was about 487 people per square mile.

About 37.4% of households had children under 18. Many households, 55.5%, were married couples living together. About 18.1% of households were individuals living alone. Some people, 7.8%, were 65 years or older and lived alone.

The average household had 2.89 people. The average family had 3.29 people. The median age in the village was 32.4 years. About 27.7% of residents were under 18. Around 10.3% were 65 or older. The village had slightly more males (53.8%) than females (46.2%).

Economy

Bear Creek is home to Flanagan Brothers, a company that makes sauerkraut. It was started in 1900 by brothers Dave and Henry Flanagan.

Today, the business is known as GLK Foods. It became Great Lakes Kraut Company in 1997 after some mergers. GLK Foods still has a factory in Bear Creek. They say they are the "world's largest producer of sauerkraut."

Notable People

• Gerald Lorge, Wisconsin politician
• William Lorge, Wisconsin politician

See also

In Spanish: Bear Creek (Wisconsin) para niños