Owen, Wisconsin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Owen, Wisconsin
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The old downtown, looking north up Central Avenue toward the Owen Company's Woodland Hotel
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Location of Owen in Clark County, Wisconsin.
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| 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)
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| • Total | 940 |
| • Estimate
(2019)
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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 small city in Clark County, Wisconsin, in the United States. In 2010, about 940 people lived there. Owen is located just east of a village called Withee.
Contents
History of Owen
The city of Owen has an interesting history, mostly linked to the timber industry.
Early Days and the Railroad
In 1880, the Wisconsin Central Railroad built its tracks through the area that would later become Owen. This railroad connected cities like Abbotsford and Chippewa Falls.
The John S. Owen Company
In 1893, a company called the John S. Owen Company bought a huge area of forest land. This land had many old, untouched trees, known as "virgin timber." The company decided to build a settlement near where the railroad crossed Brick Creek.
They built several important things:
- A warehouse to store goods.
- A boarding house for workers to live in.
- Five log buildings.
- A mill pond by damming Brick Creek. This pond helped float logs to the sawmill.
- A sawmill to cut logs into lumber.
- A planing mill to smooth and shape the lumber.
- A company store where people could buy supplies.
A one-room school was also built in 1894 for the children. John Owen's son, Aloney, moved to the settlement to manage everything.
Growth of the Village
The settlement grew quickly.
- In 1904, Owen officially became a village with 315 people.
- By 1906, the Owen Company added more businesses. They started the Owen Box and Crating factory and built the Woodland Hotel. They also began providing electricity to the village.
- In 1907, the Owens family helped start the State Bank of Owen.
By 1914, Owen's population had grown to 1,000 people. The Owens family was involved in many local businesses, including:
- Another bank in Withee.
- A bottling company.
- A theater.
- A telephone company.
- Three hotels.
They also gave land for a city park and churches. In 1915, the company opened a store to sell lumber directly to people.
End of the Timber Era
By 1918, the Owen Company had its own railroad system, about 25 miles long. This railroad was used to transport logs from their forests to the sawmill. The company thought their timber supply would last only a few more years, but it lasted much longer – about 40 years! The very last log was cut in 1932.
Geography and Climate
Owen is located at 44°56′54″N 90°33′53″W / 44.94833°N 90.56472°W.
Land and Water
The city covers a total area of about 2.41 square miles (6.24 square kilometers). Most of this area, about 2.33 square miles (6.04 square kilometers), is land. The rest, about 0.08 square miles (0.20 square kilometers), is water.
Weather in Owen
Owen experiences a climate typical of Wisconsin. It has warm summers and cold, snowy winters.
| Climate data for Owen 1E, Wisconsin (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1946–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 55 (13) |
67 (19) |
78 (26) |
87 (31) |
93 (34) |
94 (34) |
99 (37) |
101 (38) |
94 (34) |
88 (31) |
76 (24) |
62 (17) |
101 (38) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 21.1 (−6.1) |
25.7 (−3.5) |
38.0 (3.3) |
52.4 (11.3) |
65.9 (18.8) |
75.0 (23.9) |
78.9 (26.1) |
77.1 (25.1) |
69.1 (20.6) |
55.3 (12.9) |
39.8 (4.3) |
26.9 (−2.8) |
52.1 (11.2) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 11.5 (−11.4) |
15.1 (−9.4) |
27.6 (−2.4) |
41.6 (5.3) |
54.5 (12.5) |
64.1 (17.8) |
67.7 (19.8) |
65.7 (18.7) |
57.7 (14.3) |
44.7 (7.1) |
31.3 (−0.4) |
18.6 (−7.4) |
41.7 (5.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 1.8 (−16.8) |
4.4 (−15.3) |
17.3 (−8.2) |
30.8 (−0.7) |
43.1 (6.2) |
53.1 (11.7) |
56.4 (13.6) |
54.3 (12.4) |
46.4 (8.0) |
34.2 (1.2) |
22.8 (−5.1) |
10.2 (−12.1) |
31.2 (−0.4) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −42 (−41) |
−38 (−39) |
−36 (−38) |
2 (−17) |
13 (−11) |
28 (−2) |
35 (2) |
28 (−2) |
20 (−7) |
8 (−13) |
−18 (−28) |
−33 (−36) |
−42 (−41) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 1.06 (27) |
1.15 (29) |
1.81 (46) |
2.98 (76) |
3.99 (101) |
4.77 (121) |
3.81 (97) |
4.42 (112) |
3.95 (100) |
2.93 (74) |
1.85 (47) |
1.51 (38) |
34.23 (869) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 10.9 (28) |
10.2 (26) |
8.5 (22) |
3.7 (9.4) |
0.2 (0.51) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.9 (2.3) |
4.9 (12) |
11.7 (30) |
51.0 (130) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 8.5 | 6.6 | 8.4 | 11.0 | 12.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 11.0 | 10.7 | 10.1 | 7.6 | 8.7 | 117.9 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 7.8 | 6.2 | 4.8 | 2.4 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 3.4 | 7.2 | 32.6 |
| Source: NOAA | |||||||||||||
People of Owen
| Historical population | |||
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| 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 Information
In 2010, the census showed that 940 people lived in Owen. These people lived in 419 households, and 252 of those were families.
- Most people (96.7%) were White.
- A small number were African American (0.5%), Native American (0.1%), or Asian (0.1%).
- About 2% were from other backgrounds, and 0.5% were from two or more backgrounds.
- About 3.8% of the population identified as Hispanic or Latino.
Households and Families
- About 27.7% of households had children under 18 living with them.
- Many households (44.4%) were married couples living together.
- About 8.4% had a female head of household without a husband.
- About 7.4% had a male head of household without a wife.
- Roughly 39.9% were not families, meaning individuals living alone or roommates.
- About 16.2% of households had someone aged 65 or older living alone.
The average household had 2.23 people, and the average family had 2.87 people. The average age in the city was 40.4 years.
Images for kids
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A view of Owen, Wisconsin.
See also
In Spanish: Owen (Wisconsin) para niños
