Ladysmith is a city and the county seat of Rusk County, Wisconsin, United States, where U.S. Route 8 and Wisconsin Highway 27 meet and cross the Flambeau River. The population was 3,216 at the 2020 census.

History

Pre-settlement

Native Americans passed up and down the Flambeau River for thousands of years, fishing and hunting through the forest that would become Ladysmith. The Ojibwe were the last group to dominate the area, before the U.S. forced them to cede their land rights to most of northern Wisconsin in the White Pine Treaty of 1837. They called the area that would become Ladysmith - "waterfalls overflowing the rocks.<!-- was "of cliffed rapids," but no source given !-->"

U.S. surveyors arrived in 1852, walking through the woods and swamps, using chain and compass to find the section corners. The deputy surveyor filed this general description of the six-mile square that contains the north half of Ladysmith: <blockquote>This Township contains considerable Tamarac swamp passing from North East to South West. In the North West of the Township there is some good Pine on the small streams. Flambeau River enters the Township in section 25 and leaves it in section 35. Rapid current, high and dry banks, not subject to inundation, bed stoney. Some good Pine on and near the stream. No particular fall or Rapid(?).</blockquote>

Settlement

The first settler at what is now Ladysmith was the French-Canadian lumberman Bruno Vinette. He ran logging camps in the area in the 1860s and by 1872 had cut out a farm on the Flambeau River west of the modern Tee-A-Way golf course. He kept his oxen, horses, and logging equipment at this wilderness outpost during the summers, and grew crops to supply his camps. Eventually he built a ferry across the river and a backwoods hotel to serve people (mostly loggers) traveling up and down the river. Behind the hotel was a dugout jail for those made unruly by the liquor Vinette sold.

In 1885 the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad (Soo&nbsp;Line) reached what would become Ladysmith, building track east to connect the grain of the Twin Cities with the port at Sault Ste. Marie. They established a station called Flambeau Falls on high ground near the Flambeau River, and platted a village around it with the same name. In 1888 they renamed the station Warner, possibly for some railroad official.

When the Gerard hotel was built in 1901, it was touted as "the most modern and complete hotel between Minneapolis and Rhinelander" - stylish architecture, with a nice dining room, steam heat, views of the river, and boat rentals and ice cream down at the riverbank. The following year it added electric lights.

The Rusk County Training School for Teachers opened in 1907, charged with training teachers for the elementary rural and state graded schools in the area. Its classes met in the basement of the public library until it had its own building in 1911, near the present Hope Lutheran Church.

Recent history

thumb|upright|Steely-blue [[chalcocite from the Flambeau Mine]]

In 1968 a significant copper-gold deposit was discovered south of Ladysmith next to the Flambeau River. After years of test holes, proposals, opposition, and revised plans, a Kennecott subsidiary got approval in 1991. The Flambeau Copper Mine was an open pit mine operated from 1993 to 1997. This was a very rich volcanogenic massive sulfide ore deposit, so rich that the ore was shipped directly to the smelter. Flambeau Mine has since been closed and the site reclaimed and planted. It now has walking trails.

A tornado rated at F3 strength destroyed much of Ladysmith's downtown area on September 2, 2002. Overall damage was estimated at $20 million, but there were no fatalities.

The gun that Kyle Rittenhouse used on May 1, 2020 was bought by Dominick Black at the Ace Hardware store in Ladysmith - a Smith & Wesson M&P 15 rifle. This rifle would later be fired by 17-year-old Rittenhouse during unrest in Kenosha following the shooting of Jacob Blake. Black purchased the weapon using money given to him by Rittenhouse, and had an agreement that Kyle would take possession of the rifle when he turned 18.

Geography

Ladysmith is located at .

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

U.S. Highway 8 and Wisconsin Highway 27 are the main routes in the community.

Ladysmith is situated along the Flambeau River.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 3,414 people, 1,527 households, and 806 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 1,667 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.3% White, 0.6% African American, 0.8% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.6% of the population.

There were 1,527 households, of which 26.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.1% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 47.2% were non-families. 41.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.86.

The median age in the city was 43.8 years. 22.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.9% were from 25 to 44; 25.7% were from 45 to 64; and 23% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 45.6% male and 54.4% female.

2000 census

As of the census Silver Lake itself closed in 2020, and North Cedar Academy now occupies Mount Senario's old campus, passed on its collaboration with the UW System and provides "BluGold" Guarantee Transfer Program.

Notable people

  • Gary Beecham, artist
  • Lois Capps, member of the United States House of Representatives from California
  • Jorge A. Carow, Wisconsin State Assembly
  • Mark Hayes, composer and arranger
  • Donald J. Hoffman, Air Force 4-star general
  • Ron Kovic, author, Vietnam War veteran
  • Jim Leonhard, NFL player
  • Earl Maves, NFL player
  • A. R. Morlan (1958–2016), author
  • Martin Reynolds, mayor of Ladysmith, Wisconsin State Assembly
  • Dell H. Richards, Mayor of Ladysmith, Wisconsin State Assembly
  • Kathleen Slattery-Moschkau, filmmaker

See also

  • List of cities in Wisconsin

References

  • City of Ladysmith
  • Ladysmith Chamber of Commerce
  • Ladysmith, Wisconsin is at coordinates .
  • Sanborn fire insurance maps: 1902 1909 1914