Hammel, Wisconsin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hammel, Wisconsin
Town
Location of Hammel, Wisconsin
Country	United States
State	Wisconsin
County	Taylor
Area
• Total	35.7 sq mi (92.5 km2)
• Land	35.5 sq mi (91.9 km2)
• Water	0.2 sq mi (0.6 km2)
Elevation	1,352 ft (412 m)
Population  (2000)
• Total	735
• Density	20.7/sq mi (8.0/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code(s)	715 & 534
FIPS code	55-32300
GNIS feature ID	1583341
PLSS township	T31N R1W

Hammel is a small town located in Taylor County, Wisconsin, in the United States. According to the 2000 census, about 735 people lived there. The little community of Murat is also found within the town of Hammel.

Exploring Hammel's Geography

Hammel covers an area of about 35.7 square miles (92.5 square kilometers). Most of this area, about 35.5 square miles (91.9 square kilometers), is land. The rest, 0.2 square miles (0.6 square kilometers), is water.

Scientists who study the Earth, called geologists, believe that a huge glacier once covered this area. They think the last glacier stopped moving right through the northern part of Hammel. This was just south of a place called Lake Isadore. You can learn more about this in the Taylor County article.

Hammel's Past: A Look at Its History

Early Land Surveys in Hammel

The area that is now Hammel was first mapped out in the summer of 1847. A team working for the U.S. government did this important job. Then, in late 1857, another team marked all the section corners in the area. They walked through forests and over frozen swamps. They used special tools like a chain and a compass to measure everything.

After their work, the surveyor wrote down what they saw. They described the land as having many swamps with Tamarac and Cedar trees. They noted that most of these swamps were not good for farming. The land was generally hilly. The soil was good, especially near the Black River. The forests were very thick with trees like Hemlock, Birch, Pine, Maple, Tamarac, and Cedar.

The Black River flows through the town from the southeast to the southwest. It's usually deep and moves slowly. The surveyor thought it wasn't ideal for building mills.

Growth and Development in Hammel

By 1880, maps showed two roads from Medford reaching the eastern edge of what would become Hammel. The Town of Hammel was officially formed in 1897.

A map from 1900 shows that many people had started to settle in Hammel, especially in the east. Some roads followed where modern County E is today. A road like today's Perkinstown Avenue went across the whole town. It had smaller roads branching off it. Along this road, there were settlers, three small schools, and two sawmills. Another road followed the eastern part of modern Center Avenue. It also had settlers and a school.

Another important road followed where modern Highway 64 and Sawyer Avenue are now. Many settlers and two schools were along this route. Modern County O also had a road with scattered settlers.

Some parts of Hammel, especially in the west, were still mostly empty. Large areas were owned by logging companies like Sawyer & Austin. Sawyer's dam for floating logs on the Black River was marked on the map. The Wisconsin Central Railroad still owned some land. They had been given land to help pay for building their railroad line. By 1900, they had sold most of their land in Hammel.

The Village of Murat

A small village called Murat was planned near Lake Esadore. The 1900 map showed a hotel and a "hall" where the High View Inn is now. There was also a school west of Mud Lake. One of the two sawmills was located where water from Esadore Lake crosses Perkinstown Avenue. This sawmill started in 1900 but closed after it burned down in 1903.

By 1911, not much had changed from 1900. Roads had reached further, and more settlers had moved into the eastern areas. The far west was still mostly large, undeveloped land blocks.

In 1933, some parts of northwestern Hammel became part of the Chequamegon National Forest. This means these areas are protected natural lands.

Hammel's Population: Who Lives There?

Based on the census of 2000, there were 735 people living in Hammel. These people made up 265 households, and 219 of these were families. The town had about 20.7 people per square mile (8.0 per square kilometer). There were 346 homes in total.

Most of the people in Hammel were White (98.78%). A small number were African American (0.14%), Native American (0.27%), or Asian (0.68%). A very small number (0.14%) were from two or more races.

Households and Families

Out of the 265 households:

• 38.9% had children under 18 living with them.
• 75.8% were married couples living together.
• 3.0% were households led by a woman without a husband.
• 17.0% were not families (meaning people living alone or with non-relatives).
• 14.7% of all households were just one person.
• 4.9% had someone aged 65 or older living alone.

The average household had about 2.77 people. The average family had about 3.05 people.

Age and Income in Hammel

The people in Hammel were spread out by age:

• 27.5% were under 18 years old.
• 8.2% were between 18 and 24.
• 30.3% were between 25 and 44.
• 26.5% were between 45 and 64.
• 7.5% were 65 years old or older.

The average age in Hammel was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were about 108.2 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were about 114.1 males.

The average income for a household in Hammel was $51,250. For a family, the average income was $53,281. Men generally earned more, with an average income of $30,089, compared to $26,319 for women. The per capita income (average income per person) for the town was $17,425.

About 3.7% of families and 7.6% of the total population lived below the poverty line. This included 10.4% of those under 18 and 10.9% of those aged 65 or older.

Notable People from Hammel

• Anthony J. Opachen, who was a Wisconsin State Representative and worked as a laborer, was born in Hammel.

See also

In Spanish: Hammel (Wisconsin) para niños