Editing New Richmond, Wisconsin (section)

==History==
New Richmond was founded in 1857. The first permanent settlement was established by Hiram Foster, who had led a group of settlers from [[Vermont]] into the area in search of virgin [[Wisconsin]] timber for harvesting. Foster built and operated a sawmill on the banks of the [[Willow River (St. Croix River tributary)|Willow River]], which gradually drew more settlers from New England into the area. For the first few years the settlement was called Foster's Crossing, and was later renamed after Richmond Day,<ref>{{cite book|author=Chicago and North Western Railway Company|title=A History of the Origin of the Place Names Connected with the Chicago & North Western and Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railways|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OspBAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA185|year=1908|page=185}}</ref> the land surveyor who plotted the town. Because another town in Wisconsin had already taken the name Richmond, it was decided to call the town New Richmond. In 1871, New Richmond was made a station on the southwestern branch of [[Chicago]], [[Saint Paul, Minnesota|St. Paul]], [[Minneapolis]] & [[Omaha, Nebraska|Omaha]] Railroad's 'Omaha X' network, initially working northwards from [[Hudson, Wisconsin|Hudson]] to New Richmond and providing a direct connection to St. Paul. Construction on the line continued northeast of New Richmond, reaching [[Spooner, Wisconsin]] in 1879.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.kohlin.com/soo/omahahis.htm|title = Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railroad}}</ref> In addition to a steady stream of newcomers from New England, New Richmond saw an influx of [[Irish people|Irish]] immigrants throughout the 1870s and early 1880s, later followed by large numbers of [[Germans]], [[Norwegians]] and a few [[Swedes]] throughout the 1880s and 1890s. In 1885, the [[Wisconsin Central Railroad (1871–1899)|Wisconsin Central Railroad]] built a line into the north side of town westward from [[Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin|Chippewa Falls]], from where it later continued towards [[Stillwater, Minnesota|Stillwater]] and on to St. Paul.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.newrichmondwi.gov/vertical/sites/%7BC9218F77-75C0-470E-9C7A-3DB7AF5571A0%7D/uploads/D204F9AE-3AD3-4AA1-B025-05A19F66F524.PDF |title=Archived copy |access-date=2018-07-02 |archive-date=2017-01-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170131152433/http://www.newrichmondwi.gov/vertical/sites/%7BC9218F77-75C0-470E-9C7A-3DB7AF5571A0%7D/uploads/D204F9AE-3AD3-4AA1-B025-05A19F66F524.PDF |url-status=dead }}</ref>

On the early evening of June 12, 1899, [[1899 New Richmond tornado|a deadly tornado]] tore through St. Croix, [[Polk County, Wisconsin|Polk]] and [[Barron County, Wisconsin|Barron]] counties along a 46-mile path. While most of the [[Fujita scale|F5]]-strength storm's path was confined to rural areas, New Richmond suffered a direct hit, with half the town's residences leveled as well as the entire business district. In all, the tornado killed 117 people, 111 at New Richmond alone, injured more than 125, left over 1,500 people homeless and caused an estimated $18 million in damage. Due to state and federal aid and a large amount of donations, most of the homes and all but two of the businesses destroyed in the storm were able to rebuild by the following winter.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www2.jsonline.com/news/state/wis150/stories/0604sesq.stm |title=''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel''. |access-date=2008-03-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060222025838/http://www.jsonline.com/news/state/wis150/stories/0604sesq.stm |archive-date=2006-02-22 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Today, the tornado ranks as the deadliest ever recorded in Wisconsin and the ninth deadliest tornado in American history.<ref>{{cite web|title=The 25 Deadliest U.S. Tornadoes|url=http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/killers.html|publisher=National Storm Prediction Center|access-date=April 21, 2013}}</ref> Most of Main Street (Knowles Avenue) was rebuilt within five months.<ref>''New Richmond, Wisconsin - The First 150 Years - 1857-2007''. [http://www.newrichmond-news.com/ A New Richmond News Publication.]</ref>