Editing Richfield, Wood County, Wisconsin

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{coord|44.554962|-90.150131|region:US_type:city|display=title}}<!-- see gnis citation -->

{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Town of Richfield, Wisconsin
|settlement_type          = [[Town]]
|nickname                 = 
|motto                    =

<!-- Images -->
|image_skyline            = Richfield Town Hall.jpg
|imagesize                = 
|image_caption            = Town hall
|image_flag               = 
|image_seal               =

<!-- Maps -->
|image_map                = WIMap-doton-Richfield_c.png
|mapsize                  = 250px
|map_caption              = Location of the Town of Richfield, Wood County, Wisconsin
|image_map1               = 
|mapsize1                 = 
|map_caption1             =

<!-- Location -->
|subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_name  = {{flag|United States}}
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1  = {{flag|Wisconsin}}
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Wisconsin|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Wood County, Wisconsin|Wood]]

<!-- Government -->
|government_footnotes     = 
|government_type          = 
|leader_title             = 
|leader_name              = 
|leader_title1            = 
|leader_name1             = 
|established_title        = 
|established_date         =

<!-- Area -->
|unit_pref  =  Imperial
|area_footnotes           =

|area_magnitude           = 
|area_total_km2           = 90.2
|area_land_km2            = 90.1
|area_water_km2           = 0.1
|area_total_sq_mi         = 34.8
|area_land_sq_mi          = 34.8
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.0

<!-- Population -->
|population_as_of         = [[United States Census, 2000|2000]]
|population_footnotes     = 
|population_total         = 1523
|population_density_km2   = 16.9
|population_density_sq_mi = 43.8

<!-- General information -->
|timezone                 = [[North American Central Time Zone|Central (CST)]]
|utc_offset               = -6
|timezone_DST             = CDT
|utc_offset_DST           = -5
|elevation_footnotes      = <ref name="GR3">{{cite web|url=http://geonames.usgs.gov|accessdate=January 31, 2008|title=US Board on Geographic Names|publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]]|date=October 25, 2007}}</ref>
|elevation_m              = 353
|elevation_ft             = 1158
|coordinates              = {{coord|44|33|18|N|90|09|00|W|region:US-WI|display=inline}}
|postal_code_type         = 
|postal_code              = 
|area_code                = [[Area codes 715 and 534|715 & 534]] 
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 55-67500<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref>
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 1584023<ref>
  {{cite web
  | url = {{gnis3|1584023}}
  | title = Town of Richfield
  | work = [[Geographic Names Information System]]
  | publisher = [[United States Geological Survey|USGS]]
  | accessdate = May 17, 2008 }}</ref>
|blank2_name              = [[Public Land Survey System|PLSS]] township
|blank2_info              = T24N R3E
|website                  = http://www.townshipofrichfield.com
|footnotes                = 
}}
The '''Town of Richfield''' is located in [[Wood County, Wisconsin|Wood County]], [[Wisconsin]], United States. The population was 1,523 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated community of [[Bethel, Wisconsin|Bethel]] is located within the town.

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of 34.8&nbsp;square miles (90.2&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>), of which, 34.8&nbsp;square miles (90.1&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) of it is land and 0.04&nbsp;square miles (0.1&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) of it (0.11%) is water.

[[Image:Richfield Wisconsin farm.jpg|thumb|Farm just north of the town center]]
The [[Yellow River (Wisconsin River tributary)|Yellow River]] cuts across the town, heading to join the Wisconsin at Castle Rock Lake. Puff Creek feeds into the Yellow River. Much of the land is fairly low-profile except in the southeast around Bethel.<ref>{{cite book|title=Wisconsin Atlas and Gazetteer|date=1999|publisher=DeLorme|location=Yarmouth, Maine|page=63|edition=Sixth}}</ref>

==History==
Before white contact, the area that would become Richfield lay near the border of [[Ojibwe]], [[Ho-Chunk]] and [[Menominee]] territory.<ref>{{cite web|title=Tribal Lands Map|url=https://wisconsinfirstnations.org/map/|website=Wisconsin First Nations|publisher=Wisconsin Dept. of Public Instruction|access-date=January 24, 2024}}</ref>

The six by six mile square that would become Richfield was first [[Surveying|surveyed]] in the summer of 1851 by a crew working for the U.S. government. In October 1851 a different crew of surveyors marked all the [[Section (United States land surveying)|section corners]] in the [[survey township|township]], walking through the woods and swamps, measuring with [[Gunter's chain|chain]] and [[Solar compass|compass]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Land Survey Information|url=http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/SurveyNotes/SurveyInfo.html|publisher=Board of  Commissioners of Public Lands|accessdate=May 31, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Field Notes for T24N R3E|url=https://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/SurveyNotes/SurveyNotes-idx?type=PLSS&twp=T024NR003E|work=Original Field Notes and Plat Maps, 1833-1866|publisher=Board of Commissioners of Public Lands|accessdate=January 25, 2024}}</ref>

An 1858 map of Wood County showed a "County Road" following the future course of [[U.S. Route 10 in Wisconsin|U.S. 10]] to the northwest corner of what would become Richfield and headed southeast to [[Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin|Grand Rapids]]. Part way through the town, a predecessor of Puff Creek Boulevard branched off heading south to some mills downstream on the [[Yellow River (Wisconsin River tributary)|Yellow River]], including Pitt's Mill - the forerunner of [[Pittsville, Wisconsin|Pittsville]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Powers|first=L.P.|title=Map of Wood County, Wisconsin|date=1858|publisher=Strickland & Co.|location=Milwaukee|url=https://content.wisconsinhistory.org/digital/collection/maps/id/1739/rec/2|access-date=January 24, 2024}}</ref>

The Town of Richfield was established in 1881.<ref>{{cite book | url=http://www.mcmillanlibrary.org/files/docs/placenames.pdf | title=Wood County Place Names | publisher=The University of Wisconsin Press | author=Rudolph, Robert S. | year=1970 | pages=69}}</ref>

By around 1893, parts of the town were filling in with settlers. A predecessor of County A reached from the south end of the town to near the north end, with a predecessor of N heading east to [[Arpin, Wisconsin|Arpin]]. A predecessor of EE was in place, and some other segments in the north and west. Settlers were sprinkled along the roads and schools were shown near the future [[Bethel, Wisconsin|Bethel]],  a mile south of the future Richfield center, and where EE would meet A and 13. Away from the roads, much of the land was still in large blocks, owned by outfits like Lyman Lumber Co, Necedah Lumber Co, Johnson, Reitbrock & Halsey, and John Arpin Lumber Co.<ref>{{cite book|last=Philleo|first=E.I.|title=Plat Book of Wood County, Wisconsin|date=1893|publisher=E.I. Philleo|location=Grand Rapids, Wis.|url=https://content.wisconsinhistory.org/digital/collection/maps/id/21367/rec/10|access-date=January 24, 2024}}</ref>

A map from around 1902 shows the modern road grid largely complete, with only one or two-mile segments missing here and there. These were dusty wagon roads - not the raised, paved roads of today. Settler/farmers were thick in the northwest and in the southeast around Bethel. A post office was marked at Bethel on the plat map, along with Woodland Academy. A town hall was marked at the site of Richfield's modern town hall, with a creamery across the road. Another creamery was just outside Richfield at Klondike corners. A church had been added at the junction of the future EE and Washington. Much of the large blocks of land had been divided and sold to farmers, though Reitbrock still held some large chunks. Two railroads crossed the northeast corner of Richfield, running from Wisconsin Rapids to Marshfield: the [[Wisconsin Central Railway (1897–1954)|Wisconsin Central]] and the [[Chicago & North Western Railway|Chicago & Northwestern]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Map of Wood County [Wis.]|publisher=Hixson Map Co.|location=Rockford, Ill.|url=https://content.wisconsinhistory.org/digital/collection/maps/id/1740/rec/9|access-date=January 25, 2024}} WHS says the map is from between 1897 and 1902, but the Chicago & Northwestern built its line in 1902, so the map must be from then.</ref>

The 1909 plat map showed some details of the buildings at Bethel Academy, and noted a [[blacksmith shop]] a mile to the east. New schools had appeared where modern 80 meets N and where modern T meets EE.<ref>{{cite book|title=Standard Atlas of Wood County, Wisconsin|date=1909|publisher=George A. Ogle & Co.|location=Chicago, Ill.|url=https://content.wisconsinhistory.org/digital/collection/maps/id/21398/rec/1|access-date=January 25, 2024}}</ref>

The 1920 plat map showed more of the same pattern: lots of 80 and 40-acre farms, more roads, and smaller lots around Bethel. The road that would become County N didn't cross the Yellow River, and the future T still had a gap north of Bethel.<ref>{{cite book|title=Plat Book of Wood Co., Wisconsin|date=1920|publisher=W.W. Hixson & Co.|location=Rockford, Ill.|url=https://content.wisconsinhistory.org/digital/collection/maps/id/20412/rec/3|access-date=January 25, 2024}}</ref>

By the 1956 plat map the modern road grid was complete and the Bethel Academy had been replaced by "Bethel Conv. Home."<ref>{{cite book|title=Official County Plat Book and Rural Directory of Wood County|date=1956|publisher=Farm Plat Book Publishing|location=Mankato, MN|url=https://content.mpl.org/digital/collection/mcml/id/8183|access-date=January 26, 2024}}</ref>

==Demographics==
[[Image:Yellow River Wisconsin.jpg|thumb|upright|Yellow River, from County N]]
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, there were 1,523 people, 473 households, and 383 families residing in the town. The [[population density]] was 43.8 people per square mile (16.9/km<sup>2</sup>). There were 485 housing units at an average density of 13.9 per square mile (5.4/km<sup>2</sup>). The racial makeup of the town was 98.03% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.13% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.13% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 1.64% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], and 0.07% from two or more races.

There were 473 households, out of which 41.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.7% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 5.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.0% were non-families. 14.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.98 and the average family size was 3.26.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.8% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.7 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $47,188, and the median income for a family was $51,765. Males had a median income of $30,338 versus $24,643 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $18,775. About 4.5% of families and 8.5% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 11.1% of those under age 18 and 4.6% of those age 65 or over.

==Notable people==

* [[Frank J. Shortner]], Wisconsin businessman and legislator, was born in the town<ref>'Wisconsin Blue Book 1933,' Biographical Sketch of Frank J. Shortner, pg. 242</ref>

==References==
<references />

== External links ==
* [http://www.townshipofrichfield.com Town of Richfield, Wisconsin]
* Plat maps:  [http://images.library.wisc.edu/awareImageServer/SurveyNotesImageNav.jsp?collection=SurveyNotes&resource=PlatMaps/TN24/reference/002403EA.jp2 1852] [http://content.mpl.org/u?/mcml,456 1879] [http://content.mpl.org/u?/mcml,436 1896] [http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/WI/WI-idx?type=turn&entity=WI.AtlasWood09.p0020&id=WI.AtlasWood09&isize=XL 1909] [http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/WI/WI-idx?type=article&did=WI.AtlasWood28.i0016&id=WI.AtlasWood28&isize=XL 1928] [http://content.mpl.org/u?/mcml,8183 1956]
{{Wood County, Wisconsin}}

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[[Category:Towns in Wood County, Wisconsin]]
[[Category:Towns in Wisconsin]]