- For the Town of Ashland, see: Ashland (town), Wisconsin.
The remains of the massive Soo Line
ore dock
Ashland is a city in Ashland and Bayfield counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The city is a port on Lake Superior, near the head of Chequamegon Bay. The population was 8,620 at the 2000 census.
The city is situated at the junction of U.S. Route 2 and Wisconsin Highway 13. It is the home of Northland College and the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute.
History
Pre-settlement
Four flags have flown over the area around Ashland: Spanish, French, English and American. Eight different Indian nations have lived on Chequamegon Bay. Later settlers included European explorers, missionaries and fur traders, and more recently, Yankees who platted and developed the lands, railroaders, shippers, loggers, entrepreneurs, and other settlers. The area was part of the original Northwest Territory and was subsequently part of four successive territories before becoming part of the state of Wisconsin: Indiana Territory, Michigan Territory, Illinois Territory, and Wisconsin Territory.
About the time Christopher Columbus arrived in the New World, the Ojibwe people came to the land they called Sha-ga-waun-il-ong. This term has been translated numerous ways: "lowlands", the "needle", "the region of shallow water", and where "there are large extended breakers". Each is descriptive and suitably accurate.
The Ojibwe stayed on Chequamegon Point for about a century before leaving, first to settle on Madeline Island and then to move to the Sault region.
French fur traders Pierre d'Esprit, le Sieur Radisson and Medard Chouart, le Sieur des Groseillers were the first Europeans of record to visit Chequamegon Bay. They arrived in 1659 and built what has been called the first European dwelling place in Wisconsin. A historical marker is located at Maslowski Beach on U.S. Route 2 on the west end of Ashland. The monument was erected in 1929 by the Old Settlers Club.
The Ojibwe heartily welcomed the Frenchmen. Five years later, Father Claude-Jean Allouez arrived. A Jesuit missionary, he brought the first word of Christianity to Wisconsin's shores. Allouez built a chapel not far from Radisson's and Groseillier's stockade and remained at the Bay until 1669.
Settlement
In 1854, Ohioans Asaph Whittlesey and George Kilborn set out from La Pointe to explore the head of Chequamegon Bay. Whittlesey built a 10 ft (3.0 m) × 14 ft (4.3 m) cabin in Ashland. His wife, Lucy, and daughter, Eugenia, joined him in August and prepared to winter in their new home. Signs of civilization quickly followed. The first community dance was held at their house. The Reverend L.H. Wheeler preached the first sermon on the first Independence Day that was observed there. It was the location of the first post office and polling place for county offices. Sunday school was also conducted on the premises.
Other dates of note:
- 1856 — First plat of Ashland registered
- 1870 — First Ashland brownstone quarried and shipped
- 1872 — First sawmill built by W.R. Sutherland
- 1877 — Wisconsin Central Railroad connected Ashland to Chicago
- 1877 — Chequamegon Hotel opened, one block from current hotel
- 1887 — State legislature incorporated the City of Ashland
- 1889 — Wisconsin Central Depot constructed
- 1892 — Northern Wisconsin Academy opened (now Northland College)
- 1894 — Post office built
- 1904 — Ashland High School opened
- 1929 — First airport opened
- 1940 — WATW radio went on the air
- 1963 — Dedication of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore
- 1972 — Memorial Medical Center opened
- 2009 — Ore dock slated for demolition. Attempts by some community members to help save the historic structure were not successful.
Ore dock
The harbor of Ashland is dominated by the massive Wisconsin Central Railway (later Soo Line) ore dock, built in 1916 to load iron ore mined in the area into freighters bound for ports in the Rust Belt.[3] The last of what were once many such docks, the concrete structure is 80 feet (24 m) high and 75 feet (23 m) wide and in 1925 the dock was extended to 1,800 feet (550 m); it was last used to ship ore in 1965.[4] In 2007 the Wisconsin Trust for Historic Preservation named it one of the "10 most endangered historic buildings in Wisconsin", a list intended to stir preservation efforts.[4] The main concrete structure and trestle has slowly deteriorated since the early 1970's because of lack of maintenance and the effects of the environment.[5] According to a structural inspection completed in 2006 and 2007 by Westbrook Associates, the ore dock has become structurally unsafe and an imminent safety hazard. On May 14, 2009, the Ashland Planning Commission granted Canadian National approval for both a site plan for the demolition and a right-of-way license for a haul route. Canadian National (CN) has hired Minnesota-based Veit & Company to manage the demolition. All material on the ore dock will be removed down to the concrete base.[6] The entire demolition is expected to last until December 2010.[7]
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 13.7 mi² (35.4 km²). 13.4 mi² (34.7 km²) of it is land and 0.3 mi² (0.7 km²) of it (1.98%) is water.
Climate
There are four distinct seasons, with notably cold winters. Due to its proximity to Lake Superior, lake effect snow is sometimes a phenomenon in Ashland.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 8,620 people, 3,513 households, and 2,027 families residing in the city. The population density was 643.3 people per square mile (248.4/km²). There were 3,777 housing units at an average density of 108.8 persons/km² (281.9 persons/sq mi). The racial makeup of the city was 90.17% White, 0.32% African American, 6.30% Native American, 0.49% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.43% from other races, and 2.23% from two or more races. 1.37% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 3,513 households out of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.5% were married couples living together, 11.7% have a woman whose husband does not live with her, and 42.3% were non-families. 35.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.91.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.2% under the age of 18, 15.4% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 17.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $30,853, and the median income for a family was $40,549. Males had a median income of $30,122 versus $20,926 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,330. About 7.5% of families and 12.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.9% of those under the age of 18 and 10.0% ages 65 or older.
City administration
The city is divided into 11 wards, each of which is represented by an elected alderperson.
Ed Monroe was elected mayor in the 2006-04-04 local election, replacing Fred Schnook, who did not seek re-election.
Education
Public schools
- Lake Superior Primary/Intermediate School
- Marengo Valley Elementary School
- Ashland Middle School
- Ashland High School
Private schools
- Ashland Seventh Day Adventist School
- Celebration Christian Academy
- Our Lady of the Lake School
- Zion Lutheran Christian School
Colleges
Transportation
Ashland Marina, looking north across Chequamegon Bay toward Lake Superior, with the ore dock in the background
The two major highways in the city are U.S. Highway 2 and Wisconsin Highway 13. The city is one of the northern termini in Wisconsin for the Canadian National Railway, parent company of the formerWisconsin Central Ltd., which assumed the former Soo Line tracks in 1987.[8]
Airports
Airports certified for carrier operations near Ashland:
Other public-use airports near Ashland:
Public transit
Local transportation is provided by the non-profit Bay Area Rural Transit (BART) system, which has bus stops throughout the community. Headquartered in Ashland's Industrial Park, BART also provides transportation to and from other communities in the Chequamegon Bay region, including Washburn, and Bayfield.
Media
Newspapers
Radio stations
- WATW (1400 AM)
- WBSZ (93.3 FM)
- WJJH (96.7 FM)
- W215AE (90.9 FM)
- W275AF (102.9 FM)
- W284AN (104.7 FM)
- WRNC-LP (97.7 FM)
Television stations
Notable residents
- Bob Blake, NHL player
- Norm DeBriyn, head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks baseball team
- Moose Gardner, professional football player
- Morgan Hamm, Olympic medalist
- Paul Hamm, world champion gymnast, Olympic gold medalist
- Everis A. Hayes, U.S. Representative from California
- Sigurd F. Olson, author
- Joe Rogalski, MLB player
- Walter Sevalia, Distinguished Service Cross recipient
- Dave Suminski, NFL player
- John Szarkowski, photographer
Popular culture
Ashland was a filming location for the 1998 movie A Simple Plan starring Bill Paxton, Bridget Fonda, and Billy Bob Thornton.
References
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ 10 Most Endangered Properties[dead link], Wisconsin Trust for Historic Preservation, Accessed May 7, 2007.
- ^ a b Ryan, Sean (May 27, 2005). "Wisconsin Trust for Historic Preservation names state's most endangered buildings". Daily Reporter. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn5302/is_20050527/ai_n24422877/. Retrieved 2009-05-30.
- ^ Structural Condition Assessment Report
- ^ Dally, Chad (May 15, 2009). "So long, oredock ... demolition to begin this month". The Daily Press. http://www.ashlandwi.com/articles/2009/05/15/news/doc4a0d96420c64c838756557.txt. Retrieved 2009-05-30.
- ^ STAFF, DAILY PRESS (May 13, 2009). "Ashland Planning to hold special oredock meeting". The Daily Press. http://www.ashlandwi.com/articles/2009/05/14/news/doc4a0aef434e161663766529.txt. Retrieved 2009-05-30.
- ^ Wisconsin DOT Railroad Map
External links
