18-794: Nelson Dewey State Park is a 756-acre (306 ha) Wisconsin state park on the Mississippi River . The land was once part of the Stonefield estate of Nelson Dewey , the state's first governor. List of Wisconsin state parks A Wisconsin state park is an area of land in the U.S. state of Wisconsin preserved by the state for its natural, historic, or other resources. The state park system in Wisconsin includes both state parks and state recreation areas. Wisconsin currently has 51 state park units, covering more than 60,570 acres (245.1 km ) in state parks and state recreation areas. Each unit
36-488: A state park. In 1899, the legislature approved the purchase of Interstate State Park and it was established on September 20, 1900. Architect John Nolen was hired in 1907 to draft a feasibility plan for a Wisconsin State Parks System and State Parks for Wisconsin was released later that year. The report was the guideline used to set up the state park system. It recommended the creation of four state parks: Dells of
54-748: The Ice Age National Scientific Reserve , while the Wyalusing Hardwood Forest in Wyalusing State Park is a National Natural Landmark . Two Wisconsin state parks contain National Historic Landmarks , both of which are Native American archaeological sites: Aztalan and Copper Culture . 15 state parks contain a total of 23 separate listings on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). These are
72-649: The Interstate park is apart of the Saint Croix National Scenic riverway , the Ice Age National Scientific Reserve and is the western most point of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail . As of the census of 2020 , the population was 44,977. The population density was 49.2 people per square mile (19.0 people/km ). There were 24,129 housing units at an average density of 26.4 units per square mile (10.2 units/km ). The racial makeup of
90-469: The Pottawatomie Lighthouse , Rock Island Historic District, Thordarson Estate Historic District, and a water tower. Wisconsin became the first state to have a state park in 1878 when it formed "The State Park". The park consisted of 760 square miles (2,000 km ) in northern Wisconsin (most of present-day Vilas County ). The state owned 50,631 acres (205 km ), which was less than 10% of
108-1213: The Seth Peterson Cottage in Mirror Lake State Park , the Raddatz Rockshelter at Natural Bridge State Park , Stonefield partially within Nelson Dewey State Park , Eagle Bluff Lighthouse in Peninsula State Park , the Roche-a-Cri Petroglyphs in Roche-a-Cri State Park , the shot tower in Tower Hill State Park , Whitefish Dunes-Bay View Site in Whitefish Dunes State Park , Wyalusing State Park Mounds Archaeological District in Wyalusing State Park, and four listings in Rock Island State Park :
126-524: The United states via the White Pine Treaty , formally known as the treaty of St. Peters, much of the land was covered in vast pine forests , and logging activates began soon after. According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the county has an area of 956 square miles (2,480 km ), of which 914 square miles (2,370 km ) is land and 42 square miles (110 km ) (4.4%) is water. Established in 1900,
144-741: The Wisconsin River, Devil's Lake , Door County's Fish Creek (now Peninsula State Park ) and the confluence of the Mississippi and Wisconsin Rivers (now Wyalusing State Park ). Three became state parks, and the fourth became Dells Natural Area in 2005. A State Conservation Commission was formed in 1915 by combining the State Park Board, the State Board of Forestry, the Fisheries Commission, and
162-428: The age of 18 living with them, 58.20% were married couples living together, 7.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.30% were non-families. 25.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.01. In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.20% under
180-481: The age of 18, 6.70% from 18 to 24, 27.70% from 25 to 44, 24.30% from 45 to 64, and 15.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 99.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.50 males. In 2017, there were 400 births, giving a general fertility rate of 56.0 births per 1000 women aged 15–44, the 14th lowest rate out of all 72 Wisconsin counties. From its founding in 1853 through 1928, Polk County
198-552: The county was 93.5% White , 0.9% Native American , 0.5% Asian , 0.4% Black or African American , 0.8% from other races , and 3.9% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 2.1% Hispanic or Latino of any race. As of the 2000 census , there were 41,319 people, 16,254 households, and 11,329 families residing in the county. The population density was 45 people per square mile (17 people/km ). There were 21,129 housing units at an average density of 23 units per square mile (8.9 units/km ). The racial makeup of
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#1732858360803216-432: The county was 97.64% White , 0.15% Black or African American , 1.06% Native American , 0.26% Asian , 0.02% Pacific Islander , 0.20% from other races , and 0.67% from two or more races. 0.80% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 31.4% were of German , 18.6% Norwegian , 11.3% Swedish , 5.5% Irish and 5.3% American ancestry. There were 16,254 households, out of which 32.10% had children under
234-543: The state Game Warden Department. Polk County, Wisconsin Polk County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin . As of the 2020 census , the population was 44,977. Its county seat is Balsam Lake . The county was created in 1853 and named for United States President James K. Polk . After the Wisconsin Territory was established in 1836, large amounts of American Indian territories were ceded to
252-552: The total area. There were few residents in the area. Lumber barons were powerful in the area, and they purchased 2/3 of the state's land at $ 8 per acre. This defeated the purpose of the parks for it didn't save the land from the ax. In 1895, the state legislature created an act which authorized the state governor to examine some land in Polk County at the Dalles of the St. Croix River to become
270-425: The two previously mentioned National Historic Landmarks, plus Lake Farms Archaeological District at Capital Springs State Recreation Area , Copper Falls State Park , six individual buildings at Heritage Hill State Historical Park ( Baird Law Office , Cotton House , Fort Howard Hospital , Fort Howard Officers' Quarters , Fort Howard Ward Building , and Tank Cottage ), High Cliff Mounds at High Cliff State Park ,
288-578: Was a strongly Republican county in presidential elections, never once backing the Democratic candidate. The only two times in that span it did not support the Republican candidate were in 1912 when former Republican Theodore Roosevelt won the county as the Progressive candidate and in 1924 when Progressive and native Wisconsinite Robert M. La Follette won the county. Then, between 1932 and 2012, Polk County
306-401: Was a very consistently competitive county that leaned slightly Republican. Only two candidates in that span won at least 60% of the county's vote, Dwight D. Eisenhower in his 1952 landslide and Lyndon B. Johnson in his 1964 landslide. Polk County took a rightward turn in 2016, when Donald Trump won over 60% of the county's vote with a winning margin of over 27%, the best margin of victory in
324-649: Was created by an act of the Wisconsin Legislature and is maintained by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources , Division of Parks and Recreation. The Division of Forestry manages a further 471,329 acres (1,907.40 km ) in Wisconsin's state forests . Several Wisconsin state parks contain resources that have been recognized on a national level. Chippewa Moraine State Recreation Area , Devil's Lake State Park , and Interstate State Park are units of
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