Sheldon is a village in Rusk County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 261 at the 2020 census.
History
Around 1885 a few pioneer families named Marshal, Sergeant and Carman settled in the brush a mile west of Sheldon's current location, in a hamlet they called "Fern." Anton Corbine carried mail in to them from Flambeau Farm (where the Flambeau River joins the Chippewa) by foot or by horse. Other settlers followed. Woodlawn Cemetery was started in 1903 with the burial of Mrs. Alice Elmendorf (aged 65 years). A little log school stood just south of it, and a Rev. Willam would sometimes follow the trails up from Huron to lead worship in the school. In 1905 Max Dietze from Hawkins built a general store east of the cemetery, supplied by driving a wagon with horses across the Jump and along logging roads to Holcombe or Chippewa. In 1906 D. L. Pickering built a sawmill on the bank of Little Jump River.
Sheldon itself began to take form in 1906 when the Owen and Northern Railway, working for the Wisconsin Central Railroad, built its line a mile east of Fern, over the Jump and through the woods on its way to Superior. (That rail line still exists as the modern Canadian National line.) After regrouping from that setback, the railroad built a depot just north of the river, with a section house and water tank for its trains, and named the station "Sheldon," after one of its officials. That same year Ed Lacy built a general store across from the depot, later known as Brown's store, then Mau's. In 1907 Bill Huggins moved his saloon from Fern into Sheldon. Max Dietz also moved his general store from near the cemetery in to town. Eventually all businesses and schools moved, until now all that remains out by Fern is farms, homes, and the cemetery.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all land. The village is located on the north bank of the Jump River.
Demographics
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 237 people, 116 households, and 67 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 126 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 96.2% White, 1.7% Native American, 1.7% from other races, and 0.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.5% of the population.
There were 116 households, of which 17.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.7% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.2% were non-families. 36.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.04 and the average family size was 2.64.
The median age in the village was 48.4 years. 18.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.4% were from 25 to 44; 33.4% were from 45 to 64; and 20.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 48.9% male and 51.1% female.
2000 census
As of the census