Port Edwards (town), Wisconsin
| Port Edwards | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
 Port Edwards
Location within the state of Wisconsin
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| Coordinates: 44°20′38″N 89°51′28″W / 44.34389°N 89.85778°WCoordinates: 44°20′38″N 89°51′28″W / 44.34389°N 89.85778°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Wisconsin |
| County | Wood |
| Area | |
| • Total | 39.2 sq mi (101.6 km2) |
| • Land | 38.6 sq mi (100.0 km2) |
| • Water | 0.6 sq mi (1.6 km2) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 1,446 |
| • Density | 37/sq mi (14/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| Area code(s) | 715 & 534 |
| PLSS township | parts of T21N R4E, T21N R5E, and T22N R5E |
Port Edwards is a town in Wood County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,446 at the 2000 census. The Village of Port Edwards is located to the northeast of and adjacent to the town.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 39.2 square miles (101.6 km²), of which, 38.6 square miles (100.0 km²) of it is land and 0.6 square miles (1.6 km²) of it (1.58%) is water.
The part of the town of Port Edwards within three miles of the Wisconsin River was in the "Indian strip," sold by the Menominee to the U.S. government in the 1836 Treaty of the Cedars. As such, it was logged and surveyed early. In 1839 a crew working for the U.S. government surveyed what would become parts of Port Edwards, walking through the woods and crossing the river, measuring with chain and compass. In 1851 a different crew surveyed the section lines. For the six mile square that now contains Nekoosa and the village of Port Edwards, they gave this general description:
The character of the Soil in this town is very uniform. The Uplands are all pine barrens on a light Sandy Soil. the timber nearly all burned off by the yearly Indian fires. The large pines, valuable for lumber, are all gone. The bottom lands tho somewhat better, are sandy & not sufficiently large to make them valuable. Inhabitants are very scarce thin(?) being a Single house at Pt. Bausse, a noted(?) place for refitting rafts after passing the rapids before their final departure for the Mississippi, & a French hamlet on Section 1. On the whole it may be said of this town that for soil or timber it is nearly worthless. The Islands in the river are all overflowed & are neither valuable for size, soil, or timber & were therefore not meandered.
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Wikipedia