Little Wolf, Wisconsin
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Little Wolf is a town located in Waupaca County, Wisconsin. This is a 'town' in the sense of a subdivision of a county; generally, the locals refer to it as a 'township.'
At the southern border of Little Wolf township, there was a small village known as Centerville, and later called Little Wolf. (See 'history' below.)
Geography
http://www.geocities.com/townoflittlewolf/
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 1,445 people, 511 households, and 414 families residing in the town. The population density is 16.6/km² (43.1/mi²). There are 544 housing units at an average density of 6.3/km² (16.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 98.89% White, 0.21% African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.07% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.35% from other races, and 0.35% from two or more races. 0.97% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 511 households out of which 38.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 73.0% are married couples living together, 5.1% have a female householder with no husband present, and 18.8% are non-families. 15.5% of all households are made up of individuals and 7.6% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.83 and the average family size is 3.15.
In the town the population is spread out with 28.9% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.5% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 37 years. For every 100 females there are 106.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 107.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town is $47,692, and the median income for a family is $52,344. Males have a median income of $33,693 versus $22,399 for females. The per capita income for the town is $17,692. 7.5% of the population and 5.1% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 10.1% of those under the age of 18 and 5.9% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
History
The village of Little Wolf straddled the river on the southern border of the township. Settled by William Goldberg in 1848, who was joined by George E. and J.P. More in 1849, and James and Peter Meikeljohn in 1850, the village was at first known as Centerville and, after Jack Brickley built the first bridge across the river in 1858, it was also known as Brickley Bridge. The village adopted the name Little Wolf when A.P. Jones established the village's post office in January, 1859.
The village grew fairly quickly in just ten years. Goldberg and the Mores built a sawmill there in 1849. Andrew Van Adestine fired up a smithy, Dan Smith and A.P. Jones opened groceries, and Jack Brickley bridged the river. Although Peter Meikeljohn set aside a room in his house for the village's first teacher, Miss Fortner, to use as a class room in 1853, the village raised a school house in 1857, the same year that Meikeljohn opened a grist mill on the southwest bank of the river. A two-story hotel, also operated by the Meikeljohns, stood near the grist mill.
Little Wolf never grew much bigger, though, and probably began to decline in the 1870's, after another lumbermill was built upriver in 1871, and the railroad was routed through Manawa in 1873. Up until recently, the hotel and the foundations of the grist mill were all that remained to show that the village ever existed. Today, even the hotel is gone.