What is a Main Street?
         In order to identify a main street, one must understand first what a main street is. The term main street has no definition. The main street of a town doesn’t even need to be named Main Street. A “main street” is a center of a community. It is a central focus of a downtown community. They have numerous social, cultural, and economic opportunities for its town’s citizens. Overall, they serve as a center upon which the community can hold true and identify itself with.
         Main streets can be found in small towns across America. Each one is different and unique. In Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin they don't have a main street by name. This does not however mean they are without a “main street."

Origins of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin
         The origins of Chippewa Falls as a community go back well into the 1800’s. The first people to inhabit the area were much different than the citizens found there today. Native Americans, particularly the Ojibwa nation, inhabited the area and partook in trade with the American Fur Trade Company back in 1834.

This connection would later lead to the formation of the Chippewa Falls community.
          Through trade along the Chippewa River near the falls, the prospect for a successful sawmill was evident. In 1847 a man named Hiram S. Allen founded the Chippewa Falls Lumber Company.1 Almost ten years later Allen helped to establish the Village of Chippewa Falls in 1856. Lumbering was a backbone for this young community. Based upon lumber the village had to rely on the mighty Chippewa River to transport their lumber. While the water was sometimes rough the lumberman pushed on.
         By 1969 Chippewa Falls had been solidified as a city and was well established. Its business was booming and people were beginning to flock to the area. Along with the influx of people came new and different religions, cultures, and business. The city was constantly changing to fit the needs of its citizens both old and new. These changes are what made Chippewa Falls the community it is today.