Editing Owen, Wisconsin (section)

==History==
In 1880 the [[Wisconsin Central Railroad (1871–99)|Wisconsin Central Railroad]] built its line through what would become Owen, on its way from [[Abbotsford, Wisconsin|Abbotsford]] to [[Chippewa Falls]].<ref name=nrhp_nom />

In 1893 the John S. Owen Company of [[Eau Claire, Wisconsin|Eau Claire]] managed to buy from J.D. Spaulding 400 square miles of virgin timber that ran from the current site of Owen north through [[Taylor County, Wisconsin|Taylor County]] and into [[Rusk County, Wisconsin|Rusk County]]. Near where the railroad crossed Brick Creek and that creek flowed into the Popple River, the company built a warehouse, a boarding house, and five log buildings clustered around the rail line. They dammed Brick Creek to make a [[mill pond]] and built a sawmill, a [[planing mill]], and a company store. A one-room school was built in 1894. Early on, John's son Aloney moved to the settlement to oversee local operations.<ref name=nrhp_nom>{{cite web|last=Lacey|first=Patricia A.|title=Owen High School|url=http://focus.nps.gov/pdfhost/docs/NRHP/Text/04000848.pdf|work=National Register of Historic Places - Registration Form|publisher=US Dept. of the Interior - National Park Service|access-date=2016-05-01|date=July 2004}}</ref>

In 1904 the Village of Owen incorporated, with 315 people. In 1906 the Owen Company started the Owen Box and Crating factory, the Woodland Hotel, and began providing electrical service within the village of Owen.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Leonhardt |first1=Kris |title=It's electrifying - The advent of Clark County's electrical service |agency=The Sentinel & Rural News |publisher=Multi Media Channels LLC |date=2022-01-04}}</ref> In 1907 the Owens organized the State Bank of Owen, headed by J.G. Owen.<ref name=nrhp_nom />

{{wide image|Bird's eye view of Owen, Wis. LCCN2007663070.tif|700px|alt=Panorama of community above buildings|Bird's eye view of Owen in 1912}}
By 1914, Owen's population was 1,000. The Owens organized the State Bank of Withee, headed by A.R. Owen. The Owens also had a hand in a bottling works, a theater, a telephone company, and three hotels. They donated land for a city park and churches. In 1915 the company opened a retail lumber store.<ref name=nrhp_nom />

By 1918 the Owen Company was running 25 miles of railroad in Clark and Taylor Counties, hauling logs from their timber holdings in to their sawmill. At one point they thought their supply might last for five or six years, but it ended up lasting 40. The last log was sawed in 1932.<ref name=nrhp_nom />