Whittlesey, Wisconsin
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Whittlesey, Wisconsin | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Whittlesey, Wisconsin | |
| Coordinates: 45°13′23″N 90°19′44″W / 45.22306°N 90.32889°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Wisconsin |
| County | Taylor |
| Area | |
• Total | 1.127 sq mi (2.92 km2) |
| • Land | 1.127 sq mi (2.92 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,476 ft (450 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 97 |
| • Density | 86/sq mi (33/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| Area codes | 715 & 534 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1576708[2] |
Whittlesey is a census-designated place in the town of Chelsea, Taylor County, Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2020 census, Whittlesey had a population of 97.[3]
The community of Whittlesey was started in the 1870s when the Wisconsin Central Railroad Company built its line up through the forests, heading for Ashland. The railroad placed a station seven miles north of Medford where the line touched the Little Black River. It named the station Whittlesey, probably for Asaph Whittlesey, an early state legislator from Ashland,[4] or possibly for geologist Charles Whittlesey who surveyed the area.[5]
Several sawmills operated in Whittlesey starting in the 1880s. One built a 240-foot dam across the river, producing a 12-foot head of water.[6] Another sawmill operated a mile and a half west of town, hauling its sawn product on carts over a pole line (a track of hardwood poles) to ship from the station at Whittlesey.[7] A brickyard also operated there.[6]
A Village of Whittlesey was platted in 1892, initiated by G.W. and Emma Norton.[8] A 1913 map shows a "depot", post office, and blacksmith shop facing the railroad, with the school on the southeast side of town.[9] But as the timber was exhausted, the nearby sawmills closed and declined. The highway bypassed most of the town to the east. The rail line closed in 1988.[10]
As of 2023 Whittlesey is a quiet cluster of homes scattered among the trees a short drive north of Medford, with the Pine Line bike trail passing through on the old railroad right-of-way.[11]
