Ojibwa, Wisconsin facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids Ojibwa, Wisconsin Anishinaabe-oodena
Town
Location of Ojibwa, Wisconsin
Country	United States
State	Wisconsin
County	Sawyer
Area
• Total	51.4 sq mi (133.2 km²)
• Land	50.8 sq mi (131.6 km²)
• Water	0.6 sq mi (1.5 km²)
Elevation	1,332 ft (406 m)
Population (2000)
• Total	267
• Density	5.3/sq mi (2.0/km²)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code(s)	715 & 534
FIPS code	55-59600
GNIS feature ID	1583856

Ojibwa, also known as Ojibwe: Anishinaabe-oodena in the Ojibwe language, is a small town in Sawyer County, Wisconsin, USA. In the year 2000, 267 people lived here. The smaller, unincorporated community of Ojibwa is also part of this town.

Exploring Ojibwa's Location

Ojibwa is located in Wisconsin, a state in the United States. It covers about 51.4 square miles (133.2 square kilometers). Most of this area, 50.8 square miles (131.6 square kilometers), is land. The remaining 0.6 square miles (1.5 square kilometers) is water, making up about 1.13% of the total area.

Who Lives in Ojibwa?

This section shares details about the people living in Ojibwa, based on the 2000 census.

Population and Density

In 2000, there were 267 people living in Ojibwa. This means there were about 5.3 people for every square mile (2.0 people per square kilometer). There were also 265 houses or homes available.

Ethnic Backgrounds

Most people in Ojibwa were White, making up about 96.63% of the population. About 2.25% were Native American. A small group, 1.12%, identified as being from two or more ethnic backgrounds. Less than 1% of the population, 0.37%, was Hispanic or Latino.

Households and Families

There were 110 households in Ojibwa. A household is a group of people living together. Out of these, 83 were families.

About 23.6% of households had children under 18 living with them.
Most households, 69.1%, were married couples living together.
A small number, 1.8%, had a female head of the house with no husband present.
About 24.5% were non-family households, meaning people living alone or with roommates.
Roughly 21.8% of all households were made up of individuals living by themselves.
About 11.8% of households had someone aged 65 or older living alone.
The average household had 2.43 people, and the average family had 2.76 people.

Age Distribution

The population of Ojibwa was spread out across different age groups:

21.3% were under 18 years old.
3.4% were between 18 and 24 years old.
25.1% were between 25 and 44 years old.
31.5% were between 45 and 64 years old.
18.7% were 65 years old or older.

The median age, which is the middle age of the population, was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were about 113.6 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were about 114.3 males.

Income and Economy

The median income for a household in Ojibwa was $41,667. For families, the median income was $43,750.

Males earned a median income of $26,563.
Females earned a median income of $21,071.
The average income per person in the town was $16,889.

About 6.5% of families and 7.1% of the total population lived below the poverty line. This included 8.2% of those under 18, but no one aged 65 or older.

Ojibwa's Past: A Look at History

Ojibwa, like other settlements in Sawyer County, was most active between 1902 and 1920. The town is located by the Chippewa River, where Highways 27 and 70 meet today.

How Ojibwa Got Its Name

Mr. Ben F. Faast, an early land developer, named the town 'Ojibwa'. He chose this name because it was close to the Chippewa River and the Lac Courte Oreilles reservation. The name "Chippewa" is actually a different way of saying "Ojibwa".

The Logging Boom

This small town was perfectly placed near the timber lands of four big lumber companies. These companies were the Couderay Lumber Company, Hines Lumber Company, Chippewa Lumber and Boom Company, and Arpin Lumber Company.

The Chippewa Lumber and Boom Company used the Brunet and Chippewa rivers to move their logs.
The Arpin Lumber Company had a large logging camp where McDonald Park is now. They also floated their logs down the Chippewa River.
The Hines Lumber Company sent their logs by train to Park Falls.
The Couderay Lumber Company shipped logs by rail to sawmills in Couderay and Rice Lake.

The logging industry in Ojibwa did not last very long. Major logging operations soon moved to other towns like Radisson and Winter.

A Vision for Farming

Mr. Ben Faast, from Eau Claire, started the Wisconsin Colonization Company. He bought large areas of land in Ojibwa that had already been logged. His office was first in Radisson, then moved to Ojibwa in 1918.

Mr. Faast dreamed of a busy city supported by farmers. He believed farmers would want to build modern farms on the land where loggers had left behind cut trees. The land was advertised as very fertile and cheap.

Planning a New Town

Mr. Faast was so sure of his plan that he personally designed the town. Frans Aust, a professor from the University of Wisconsin, drew the official plans for the village. The plan was very detailed and included:

A zoo
A park
Boulevards and planned streets
Sidewalks
Areas for homes
Areas for factories

However, this grand plan had only moderate success. The farmers who bought the land found that farming was not very profitable. It also required a lot of time, money, and hard work to succeed.

Diverse Settlers

Many different groups of people settled near Ojibwa. These included Scandinavians, Polish, English, French, German, and Irish families. The largest group to settle in the area was the Polish people.

These Polish families were hardworking and ambitious. They farmed in the summer and worked in logging camps during the winter. The wives and children stayed on the farms in winter to care for the animals. This helped the families earn more money. Slowly, many families left their farms and moved back to cities to work in factories.

Today, only four of the original Polish families remain in the town of Ojibwa: the Jarosz, Granica, Pydo, and Karpowicz families.

Early Churches and Schools

The first church in Ojibwa was the Lutheran Church. An old schoolhouse, called the Crawford School, was moved to the village in the winter of 1922. This building was moved across the frozen Chippewa River. This was the last time the river completely froze enough to be used for travel by teams and vehicles.

The church group later broke up around 1925. The building was then moved to a settlement called "Thornapple" and used as a community hall.

Township Organization

The area around Ojibwa became an official civil township in 1918. It was formed from land that used to be part of Radisson Township. The first election for the new Ojibwa township was held on July 2, 1919, at the Al Raynor farm. Only nine people voted, and since there were eight positions to fill, almost everyone who voted was elected!

School Districts

Over time, four school districts were set up in Ojibwa. These included the Menwaring School, the Sam Sigwin School, the Bishop School, and the State Graded School in the village. In 1952, the school districts reorganized. Now, students from Ojibwa are bused to Winter to attend school, as the local school is no longer open.

Ojibwa Roadside State Park

Ojibwa Roadside State Park is located in the township, on the south side of the Chippewa River, along Highway 70. This park is a beautiful spot with 350 acres of thick woods. It attracts many tourists.

Park Features

The park offers many outdoor facilities for visitors:

Picnic tables
Fireplaces
A baseball diamond
A shelter house
A well for water
Campsites
Hiking trails

Wildlife and Visitors

In winter, the park is used as a feeding station for deer. The entire area is a wildlife refuge, meaning it protects many kinds of birds and animals. During the summer, between five thousand and six thousand people visit the park to enjoy nature. From May to September, about three thousand tourists camp there.

Even though there isn't much to encourage new people to move to Ojibwa permanently, the town continues to exist. It serves as a reminder of the busy logging days and is a popular spot for city people who own summer cabins along the beautiful Chippewa River.