Photo
Courtesy of the Chippewa County Historical Society
       
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The Expansion of Chippewa Falls
The influx of people into the Chippewa Falls area during
the 1880’s created a diverse and growing community. Between the
years of 1855 and 1885 the population of the Chippewa Valley grew from
3,000 to more than 100,000 people.1
More specifically in the year of 1880 Chippewa County’s total
population was 15,491 with 5,448 people being foreign born. By 1890
total population had grown to 25,143.2The
success of the logging company, and the increase in industry in general
allowed for a population boom unparalleled in any other part of the
state.
The reasons as to why Chippewa Falls experienced such
a period of growth are varied, but the main one is the fact that this
area was providing the job opportunities that many people were in search
of. Through the success of the logging company, rental areas developed
around the mill allowing for mill workers and their families to be close
to the work area. At the same time shops were built around the mill
to provide for entertainment and provisions for these families.3
Families were able to set up roots within the community, and raise families
in a secure environment. Chippewa Falls is unique in the aspect that
both agriculture and industry were driving forces behind its growth
and transformation. People worked everywhere from the local schools
as teachers, to the Woolen Mill, to the banks of the area.
High School Education in the late
1800s
With the increase in population, local schools were also
experiencing change. The first public school in Chippewa Falls was opened
in July 1854 and had only one teacher.4
In 1870 the schools had a total enrollment of 275 students, with an
average attendance of 117.5
As the population of Chippewa Falls began to grow, more room was needed
to accommodate all of the students. For many years school was held in
classic one-room schoolhouses across the state. Attendance was not mandatory,
and in fact many students did not complete high school. In 1888 a step
was made to improve the issue of attendance in local schools. Michael
J. Bennett introduced a bill to congress that required “at least
twelve weeks of school for all between seven and fourteen years of age.”6
In fact those parents who did not comply could be fined.7
For the first time, children were required to attend school, which was
a major change to the education system.
For many years high school was looked at as having courses
that were more “college preparatory” than “real life”
based. The introduction of such courses as agriculture, manual training,
domestic economy and commercial work began to develop a more “life”
based education rather than that of only college prep courses.8
In general high school education was beginning to evolve at this time,
and the graduating class of 1907 were some of the first pupils to experience
these new ideas and changes.
While high school education has historically been focused
on giving students the knowledge to succeed in higher education, the
turn of the 20th century is when the thought that high school should
provide the skills to succeed in everyday life began to emerge. The
introduction of vocational education was one way this occurred, while
evolution of high school curriculum also had an effect. This shift in
the purpose of high school not only affected student life, but it also
helped to shape the community, the type of jobs people were getting,
as well as industry within the city.
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