Eau Galle, Dunn County, Wisconsin Explained

Official Name:Ton of Eau Galle
Settlement Type:Town
Mapsize:250px
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name: United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Dunn
Unit Pref:Imperial
Area Total Km2:124.2
Area Land Km2:122.7
Area Water Km2:1.5
Area Total Sq Mi:47.9
Area Land Sq Mi:47.4
Area Water Sq Mi:0.6
Population As Of:2000
Population Total:797
Population Density Km2:6.5
Population Density Sq Mi:16.8
Timezone:Central (CST)
Utc Offset:-6
Timezone Dst:CDT
Utc Offset Dst:-5
Elevation Footnotes:[1]
Elevation M:257
Elevation Ft:843
Coordinates:44.7247°N -92.05°W
Blank Name:FIPS code
Blank Info:55-22375[2]
Blank1 Name:GNIS feature ID
Blank1 Info:1583125

The Town[3] of Eau Galle is located in Dunn County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 797 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated community of Eau Galle and the ghost town of Welch Point are located in the town.

History

One theory is that Eau Galle meant "bitter water".[4] However, the placename ultimately is a modified version of the Eau Galle River's French name, Au Galet, literally "with the gravel-bank".[5] Eau ("water") and au ("with the") are pronounced alike in French.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 47.9 square miles (124.2 km2), of which, 47.4 square miles (122.7 km2) of it is land and 0.6 square miles (1.5 km2) of it (1.21%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 797 people, 303 households, and 229 families residing in the town. The population density was 16.8 people per square mile (6.5/km2). There were 333 housing units at an average density of 7.0 per square mile (2.7/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 99.25% White, 0.13% African American, 0.25% Asian, 0.38% from other races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.75% of the population.

There were 303 households, out of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.7% were married couples living together, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.1% were non-families. 17.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.8% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 110.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $39,167, and the median income for a family was $43,875. Males had a median income of $29,808 versus $21,016 for females. The per capita income for the town was $17,103. About 7.2% of families and 9.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.3% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: US Board on Geographic Names. January 31, 2008. United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007.
  2. Web site: U.S. Census website . . January 31, 2008 .
  3. "Towns" in Wisconsin perform most of the same functions as townships in many other states. see 'Wisconsin Blue Book 2022,' Town, pp 354-355
  4. Book: The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States . Govt. Print. Off. . Gannett, Henry . 1905 . 113.
  5. Book: Boyd. Robert K.. Early conditions of the Chippewa Valley. 1998. At the mouth of what is now called the Eau Galle River, they found a heavy gravel bar, called galet (pronounced galay) in their language, and so they called the stream La Rivière au Galet, the River of the Gravel Bank..