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Please add profiles for those who were born in St. Croix County, Wisconsin.
Official Website
St. Croix County was created on August 3, 1840 by the legislature of the Wisconsin Territory. It was named after the river on its western border. Sources vary on the origin of the name; the St. Croix River may have been named after Monsieur St. Croix, an explorer who drowned at the mouth of the river late in the seventeenth century. Another account credits Father Hennepin with giving this region the French name Ste Croix (Holy Cross) because of the burial markers located at the mouth of the river.
On June 12, 1899, a deadly F5 tornado struck New Richmond. The tornado's damage path was 400 yards wide and 46 miles long. The tornado formed on the banks of the St. Croix River, south of Hudson. Moving to the northeast across St. Croix County, the tornado passed through the villages of Burkhardt and Boardman before striking New Richmond head on leveling the entire business district and half the town's residences. The storm continued on towards the northeast, narrowly missing the town of Deer Park before crossing into Polk County, where it again narrowly missed the towns of Clear Lake, Richardson and Clayton. Once the tornado passed into Barron County, it struck the village of Arland (No reported fatalities or serious injuries) before breaking up southwest of Barron. The tornado killed 117 people (Four at Boardman, two in Polk County and the rest at New Richmond), including at least 20 people who died from their injuries in the days after the storm. Largely in thanks to state aid and donations, most of the town was rebuilt by the following winter. Today, the tornado stands as the deadliest ever recorded in Wisconsin and the 9th deadliest tornado in U.S. history.
Adjacent Counties
For a complete list of Towns, Townships & Communities, please see Wikipedia.
Cities & Villages
- Baldwin
- Deer Park
- Hammond
- Hudson (County Seat)
- New Richmond
- North Hudson
- River Falls (part)
- Roberts
- Somerset
- Spring Valley (part)
- Star Prairie
- Wilson
- Woodville
Cemeteries
Links
National Register of Historic. Places
St. Croix Valley Genealogical Society
St. Croix County Historical Society
