Plover

History

The area was originally recognized as "Plover Portage," a name derived from the portage between the lower and upper Wisconsin River. In 1825, a treaty established the site as a boundary between the Chippewa and Winnebago tribes. In 1844, the site was selected as the first county seat of Portage County, with the village officially platted in 1845. Plover was incorporated as a village on March 6, 1857. However, after a heated legislative battle in 1868, the county seat was moved to Stevens Point. The loss of its administrative status led to the village's dissolution in 1870. The village underwent two further cycles of incorporation and dissolution in 1912 and 1931, primarily due to financial instability during the Great Depression. Its fourth and current incorporation was finalized on September 28, 1971. Since the 1970s, the village has expanded its land area significantly through nearly annual annexations of the surrounding Town of Plover.

Geography

Plover sits atop a massive glacial outwash plain within the Central Sands region. This geography consists of deep sandy soils and a high water table, which supports intensive irrigation for agriculture. The village encompasses , of which is land. The village is bordered to the west by the Wisconsin River and is bisected by the Little Plover River, a rare spring-fed "Class I" trout stream noted for its hydrologic importance to regional groundwater levels. To the east, the landscape transitions into terminal moraines, creating hilly terrain that contrasts with the village's central plains. Plover has a humid continental climate (Dfb), characterized by warm, wet summers and freezing, snowy winters. Over the course of the year, temperatures typically vary from 9°F to 82°F.

Race & ethnicity