Spring Valley

History

The Spring Valley area was first settled by logging crews in 1857. They had followed the Eau Galle River upstream from the sawmill settlement in Eau Galle, WI. The first family settled in 1861. The first school was built in 1867. The post office was established in 1870. A watermill was constructed in 1874. Iron ore had been discovered in the area in 1876, however mining would not take place until 1891/92. It was at that time the Eagle Iron (later Spring Valley Iron and Ore Company) started the “pig iron” industry. The smelting and ore industry would bring a large number of people to the village. This included miners, smelters, businessmen, and freemasons. Many of whom brought families. In 1895 Spring Valley officially became incorporated. Since then, Spring Valley has continued to grow while honoring and celebrating the historical past as residents get together to celebrate “Dam Days” (in reference to the many floods requiring a dam to be built). The Eagle Iron Company and later, the Spring Valley Iron and Ore Company, had pig iron smelting operations here between 1892 and 1917. Enough business was generated to bring a branch line of the Minnesota and Wisconsin Railway through the village. When the Iron market bottomed out the ore deposits east of town and in nearby Gilman Township became too costly to mine and the facilities were dismantled. All that remains is the 80 foot elevator shaft which stand to this day. The railroad, eventually running through Elmwood, discontinued service in 1966. The Eau Galle river and the valley the village sits in were prone to major floods pre-1968. The 1942 flood is the most well-known. Precipitation over much of the upper Mississippi River basin during September 1942 was above normal conditions. On September 16, 1942, a…

Geography

Spring Valley is located at (44.847111, -92.240130), along the Eau Galle River. According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has an area of , of which is land and is water.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Spring Valley Elementary
  Elementary · Spring Valley · 354 students · 14.2:1 ratio
• Spring Valley High
  High · Spring Valley · 200 students · 15.4:1 ratio
• Spring Valley Middle
  Middle · Spring Valley · 154 students · 15.4:1 ratio
• Elmwood Elementary
  Elementary · Elmwood · 138 students · 10.6:1 ratio
• Elmwood High
  High · Elmwood · 90 students · 9:1 ratio
• Elmwood Middle
  Middle · Elmwood · 83 students · 11.9:1 ratio
• Western Wisconsin Virtual Charter School (WWVC)
  Other · Elmwood · 10 students