Manawa, Wisconsin
| Manawa, Wisconsin | |
|---|---|
| City | |
 Location of Manawa, Wisconsin |
|
| Coordinates: 44°27′38″N 88°55′9″W / 44.46056°N 88.91917°WCoordinates: 44°27′38″N 88°55′9″W / 44.46056°N 88.91917°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Wisconsin |
| County | Waupaca |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.77 sq mi (4.58 km2) |
| • Land | 1.63 sq mi (4.22 km2) |
| • Water | 0.14 sq mi (0.36 km2) |
| Elevation | 817 ft (249 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 1,371 |
| • Estimate (2012) | 1,344 |
| • Density | 841.1/sq mi (324.8/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| Area code(s) | 920 |
| FIPS code | 55-48350 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1568931 |
| Website | cityofmanawa |
Manawa is a city in Waupaca County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,371 at the 2010 census.
The area that developed into Manawa was sparsely settled before 1860 and most residents clustered in the area known as Little Wolf, Wisconsin. The city of Manawa grew up south of a sawmill built on the Little Wolf River in 1871 by J. M. and Harley Rounds and Robert Pugmire. The river was bridged in three places by the 1880s, making Manawa a focus of all traffic through the town. The timbered bridge at the sawmill was replaced with a steel truss bridge in 1902. About a mile downstream, the railroad crossed the river on a plate girder bridge, and barely a half-mile below the railroad trestle, the lower bridge, originally built of lumber, was replaced by a three-arch stone bridge in 1902.
The city was cradled in the lower crook of the reverse-S made by the river, with the streets of the city laid out in three distinct parts. A northern part in 16 blocks was drawn just south of the sawmill and became the central business district through most of the city's life. A central sliver of eight blocks, a mix of businesses and residences, lay on the south side of the railroad. And to the south, a square of 20 blocks was laid out around the river crossing about a half-mile below the railroad. Although this was the largest part of Manawa to be platted, and appeared to be laid out as the civic center of the city, complete with a town square, it fell into decline, and only in more modern times has begun to grow again.
For a short time after the post office opened in 1872, under the postmaster Elbert Scott, the city was known as Elberton. The name Manawa was adopted in 1874. According to local folklore, "Manawa" means "long bow," and was the name of a Native American killed in a duel near the lower river crossing.
Manawa is located at 44°27′38″N 88°55′9″W / 44.46056°N 88.91917°W (44.460563, -88.919253).
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