Hokah ( ) is a city in Houston County, Minnesota, United States. As of the 2020 census, Hokah had a population of 553. Hokah is located near the confluence of the Root and Mississippi rivers, opposite La Crosse, Wisconsin.

History

thumb|left|Welcome sign along state highway 16

Prior to the arrival of Europeans, the area that is now the city of Hokah was a Native American settlement of the Dakota people. The city's name, which is said to be a Native American word meaning gar fish or the Dakota name for the nearby Root River, derives from the chief of the settlement, Chief Wecheschatope Hokah.

The first recorded European settler in Hokah was Edward Thompson, who arrived in 1851 with his wife and family and constructed a flour mill and dam on Thompson Creek, a tributary of the Root River that runs through the city and now bears his name. The first town meeting was held in 1858, and the town was officially incorporated into a village by the state of Minnesota on March 2, 1871. The railroad depot was equipped for all types of railroad work, including the construction of railroad locomotives and coaches. The depot employed as many as 500 workers and constructed as many as 300 coaches in one year. As of 1880, Hokah also had a plow factory, a furniture factory, three blacksmith shops, a shoe shop, two drug stores, and six general stores. In 1880, the Root River Valley Railroad was purchased by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad and the railroad depot in Hokah was razed in favor of other facilities elsewhere, leaving several hundred workers without employment and causing many people to leave the area. Hokah's other industries suffered from this loss of population and many of the other local businesses eventually closed.

On August 19, 2007, 15.10 inches of rain fell in Hokah over a 24-hour period, breaking the previous 24-hour rainfall record for the state of Minnesota of 10.84 inches set on July 22, 1972 in Fort Ripley, Minnesota. This rainfall was part of the weather system that caused the 2007 Midwest flooding and caused widespread damage throughout Hokah and surrounding communities including landslides, damaged and destroyed homes, and washed-out roads. Hokah also holds the record for the most rainfall in any month for the state of Minnesota at 23.86 inches, also set in August, 2007.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Hokah's location in the Driftless Area of southeastern Minnesota gives it a hilly landscape dominated by high bluffs and low river valleys known as coulees. The city's downtown is set on a small bluff between the Root River valley and the Thompson Creek valley. At the east end of downtown is Thompson Bluff, also known as Mt. Tom, a bluff that rises more than 400 feet above downtown. Like Thompson Creek, Thompson Bluff is named for Edward Thompson.

Como Falls

thumb|Modern-day Como Falls

thumb|right|Postcard depicting Lake Como circa 1909

thumb|Como Falls in Hokah, Minnesota

Hokah was home to Como Falls, a waterfall on Thompson Creek. From 1858 until the 1930s Hokah was also home to Lake Como, a 90-acre, 20-foot deep man-made lake created by building a dam on Thompson Creek at Como Falls. Lake Como was a popular vacation spot in its heyday, drawing visitors from La Crosse and the surrounding area with lakeside cabins and boat rentals.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 580 people, 275 households, and 152 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 287 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.6% White, 0.2% African American, 0.7% Native American, 0.3% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.4% of the population.

There were 275 households, of which 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.8% were married couples living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 44.7% were non-families. 38.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.11 and the average family size was 2.76.

The median age in the city was 39.4 years. 24% of residents were under the age of 18; 9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.3% were from 25 to 44; 31.9% were from 45 to 64; and 11% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.0% male and 49.0% female.

2000 census

As of the census St. Peter's School, a Catholic school serving pre-kindergarten through 8th grade, is also located in Hokah. Several universities, including the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse, Viterbo University, St. Mary's University of Minnesota, and Winona State University, are nearby.

The city's public library is the Hokah Public Library. The library is a member of Southeastern Libraries Cooperating (SELCO), one of Minnesota's twelve regional public library systems, which serves the southeastern portion of the state.

References

  • The City of Hokah, Minnesota government website
  • Hokah, Minnesota