Dunbar

History

The town was founded in 1888 during a period of thriving logging industry in the Wisconsin northern woods. At that time the railroad was the main means of transporting logs from Dunbar to the southern part of the state and Illinois. Dunbar was probably named after Warren Dunbar (1840–1918), who was an engineer for the railroad. A story says that before the town was officially founded there was a restaurant where a cook with the surname Dunbar worked. Whenever the railroad stopped at that part of the area they brought food and supplies for the restaurant. The railroad workers said they were bringing things "to Dunbar" the cook. Eventually when the town was founded it was after the cook's surname.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 105.2 square miles (272.5 km2), of which 104.4 square miles (270.4 km2) is land and 0.8 square mile (2.0 km2) (0.74%) is water.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  3,823
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,815
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  3,675
• Common Raven

  Corvus corax Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  3,511
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,094
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,763
• White-breasted Nuthatch

  Sitta carolinensis Latham, 1790 · Aves
  2,727
• Hairy Woodpecker

  Leuconotopicus villosus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  2,689

Largest nearby schools

• Pembine Elementary
  Elementary · Pembine · 142 students · 11.8:1 ratio
• Pembine High
  High · Pembine · 93 students · 10.3:1 ratio
• Goodman High
  High · Goodman · 45 students · 6.4:1 ratio
• Goodman-Armstrong Elementary
  Elementary · Goodman · 33 students · 6.6:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.5 — 2024-01-07
  3 km NE of Mole Lake, Wisconsin
• M 2.6 — 2021-06-02
  11 km S of West Ishpeming, Michigan