Black River Falls

History

A large monument to Black River Falls' veterans of World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, as well as to local Medal of Honor recipient Mitchell Red Cloud, Jr., was erected near the Chamber of Commerce Building at 101 S. 2nd Street. Named the "Field of Honor", the attached plaques provide accounts of the veterans' services. This site is also the start of the four-mile (6.5 km) Foundation Trail, a signed hiking and bike path that circles the eastern part of the community. Black River Falls is the focus of Michael Lesy's book Wisconsin Death Trip (1973), which used photographs and newspaper cuttings to highlight the harshness of life in the community during the late nineteenth century and the effects it had on the psychology of the inhabitants.

Geography

Black River Falls was founded to utilize the waterpower of the Black River. As the area was predominantly forest at the time, its primary use was in operating sawmills. Black River Falls is located at (44.297166, -90.849263). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. The city is located on the falls of the Black River at the northeast edge of the Driftless Area, where the river cuts through a region of granite. The falls are covered by a hydroelectric dam, forming the Black River Flowage.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  774
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  667
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  601
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  594
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  497
• Chipping Sparrow

  Spizella passerina (Bechstein, 1798) · Aves
  489
• Red-eyed Vireo

  Vireo olivaceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  485
• Eastern Towhee

  Pipilo erythrophthalmus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  480