Algoma, Wisconsin
Encyclopedia
Algoma is a city in Kewaunee County
Kewaunee County, Wisconsin
Kewaunee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2000, the population was 20,187. Its county seat is Kewaunee. Kewaunee County is part of the Green Bay Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:According to the U.S...

 in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...

. The population was 3,357 at the 2000 census. Algoma is part of the Green Bay
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay is a city in and the county seat of Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, located at the head of Green Bay, a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It has an elevation of above sea level and is located north of Milwaukee. As of the 2010 United States Census,...

 Metropolitan Statistical Area
Green Bay metropolitan area
The Green Bay Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of three counties in Wisconsin, anchored by the city of Green Bay...

.

Geography

Algoma is located at 44.608226°N 87.442342°W (44.608226, -87.442342), along Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...

 at the mouth of the Ahnapee River
Ahnapee River
The Ahnapee River is a river on the Door Peninsula in eastern Wisconsin in the United States. It rises in Door County, Wisconsin and flows through Kewaunee County into Lake Michigan. It is about 15 mi long...

.

According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the city has a total area of 2.5 square miles (6.4 km2), of which, 2.4 square miles (6.3 km2) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km2) of it (1.61%) is water.

Highways

  • WIS 42 Northbound travels to Sturgeon Bay
    Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin
    Sturgeon Bay is a city in and the county seat of Door County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 9,437 at the 2000 census. It is located at the natural end of Sturgeon Bay, although the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal was built across the remainder of the Door Peninsula.-Geography:Sturgeon Bay is...

    . South it continues into Kewaunee
    Kewaunee, Wisconsin
    Kewaunee is a city in Kewaunee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,806 at the 2000 census. Located on the northwestern shore of Lake Michigan, the city is the county seat of Kewaunee County....

    .
  • WIS 54 connects with Green Bay
    Green Bay, Wisconsin
    Green Bay is a city in and the county seat of Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, located at the head of Green Bay, a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It has an elevation of above sea level and is located north of Milwaukee. As of the 2010 United States Census,...

     westbound.

Demographics

As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

, of 2000 there were 3,357 people, 1,493 households, and 900 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 1,374.9 people per square mile (531.2/km2). There were 1,632 housing units at an average density of 668.4 per square mile (258.2/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 98.42% White, 0.09% African American, 0.30% Native American, 0.06% Asian, 0.51% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 0.63% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.98% of the population.

There were 1,493 households out of which 24.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.2% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.7% were non-families. 35.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.85.

In the city the population was spread out with 21.1% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 22.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 88.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $35,029, and the median income for a family was $46,552. Males had a median income of $30,349 versus $22,650 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the city was $18,043. About 3.4% of families and 5.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.1% of those under age 18 and 6.4% of those age 65 or over.

History

The settlement which eventually became known as Algoma was founded in 1834 by Joseph McCormick of Manitowoc
Manitowoc, Wisconsin
Manitowoc is a city in and the county seat of Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, United States. The city is located on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Manitowoc River. According to the 2000 census, Manitowoc had a population of 34,053, with over 50,000 residents in the surrounding communities...

. In 1851, Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

 and English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 pioneers moved to the area and called the place Wolf River. This was a loose translation from the Indian word An-Ne-Pe, meaning "land of the great gray wolf." The wolf was a legendary animal in stories told by the local Potawatomi
Potawatomi
The Potawatomi are a Native American people of the upper Mississippi River region. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, a member of the Algonquian family. In the Potawatomi language, they generally call themselves Bodéwadmi, a name that means "keepers of the fire" and that was applied...

 Indians. (This animal eventually became the mascot of the Algoma School District
Algoma School District
The Algoma School District is a school district serving the area around the city of Algoma in Kewaunee County, Wisconsin. It covers approximately 68 square miles in the northeastern-most section of the county....

.)

In the mid-19th century, immigrants from Germany, Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...

, Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...

, and Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

 settled in the community. The earliest businesses consisted of a sawmill, a general store, and churches. In 1859, the name of the town was changed from Wolf to Ahnapee. The town which surrounds Algoma
Ahnapee, Wisconsin
Ahnapee is a town in Kewaunee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 977 as of the 2000 Census. The unincorporated communities of Kodan and Rankin are located in the town.-Geography:...

 still bears this name.

In 1871, the town survived the Peshtigo Fire
Peshtigo Fire
The October 8, 1871 Peshtigo Fire in Peshtigo, Wisconsin, is the conflagration that caused the most deaths by fire in United States history, killing as many as 1,500. Occurring on the same day as the more infamous Great Chicago Fire, the Peshtigo Fire is mostly forgotten...

 that swept from Green Bay
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay is a city in and the county seat of Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, located at the head of Green Bay, a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It has an elevation of above sea level and is located north of Milwaukee. As of the 2010 United States Census,...

 and destroyed thousands of acres of land. Local residents were prepared to escape from the fire, but torrential rains extinguished it just before it reached Ahnapee.

Growth and development in Ahnapee was greatly advanced in 1892 with the arrival of the Ahnapee and Western Railway
Ahnapee and Western Railway
The Ahnapee and Western Railway was a common carrier short line railroad located in northeastern Wisconsin.The railroad ran from a connection with the Kewaunee, Green Bay and Western Railroad at Casco Junction to the lakeshore terminals of Algoma in Kewaunee County and Sturgeon Bay in the "Door...

, which connected the coastal town with the Kewaunee Green Bay and Western Railroad
Kewaunee, Green Bay and Western Railroad
The Kewaunee, Green Bay and Western Railroad, constructed with Lackawanna Trust and W. W. Cargill backing, was incorporated on May 19, 1890 for the purpose of moving cargo between the port cities of Green Bay and Kewaunee in Wisconsin...

 at Casco Junction
Casco Junction, Wisconsin
Casco Junction is an unincorporated community located in the town of Casco in Kewaunee County, Wisconsin. The community was an important railroad outpost for the Ahnapee and Western Railway where Casco Junction acted as the southern terminus of the railroad...

. The railroad would connect Algoma with the rest of the nation's rail system for the 94 years. Several factories were built in Ahnapee as a result of the railroad's arrival, including the Ahnapee Seating & Veneer Company. This industry would change owners and names through the years, but still operates in town as Algoma Hardwoods, Incorporated.

Ahnapee incorporated as a city on February 23, 1879. In 1897, the city was renamed Algoma, a name which may have come from an Indian term for "park of flowers." (See also Algoma (word)
Algoma (word)
Algoma is a placename given to many different places throughout the United States and Canada. Examples include Algoma District, Ontario, Algoma, Oregon, Algoma, Wisconsin, and Algoma Township, Michigan...

) At that time the commercial fishing fleet located in Algoma was the largest on Lake Michigan. Sport fishing is still a major tourist attraction today.

Culture

Shanty Days is an annual celebration held the second weekend of August. There are ethnic foods, music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...

, and beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...

. Features also include an arts and crafts show, a used-book sale, a parade
Parade
A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually celebrations of some kind...

, a 5k run/walk, wine tasting, fireworks and a street fair.

The Concerts in the Park Series begins Wednesday evenings, following the Fourth of July and ends the Wednesday after Shanty Days. These concerts are sponsored by the city of Algoma and various local businesses. The performances are located at Heritage Park, next to the Algoma Marina.

In popular culture

  • In "Buried", an episode of the television series Prison Break
    Prison Break
    Prison Break is an American television serial drama created by Paul Scheuring, that was broadcast on the Fox Broadcasting Company for four seasons, from 2005 until 2009. The series revolves around two brothers; one has been sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit, and the other devises an...

    , fugitive Haywire enters a shop in Algoma and steals supplies from a crippled shopkeeper. The shopkeeper's dog, a border collie
    Border Collie
    The Border Collie is a herding dog breed developed in the Anglo-Scottish border region for herding livestock, especially sheep. It is the most widespread of the collie breeds....

    , chases Haywire until he reaches the shore of Lake Michigan. There, he tells the dog that he will build a raft and sail across the water to get to Holland.
  • In "The Message
    The Message (Prison Break episode)
    "The Message" is the thirty-seventh episode of the American television series Prison Break and is the fifteenth episode of its second season. Originally aired on January 29, 2007, the episode was written by Zack Estrin and Karyn Usher, and was directed by Bobby Roth...

    ", an episode of the television series Prison Break
    Prison Break
    Prison Break is an American television serial drama created by Paul Scheuring, that was broadcast on the Fox Broadcasting Company for four seasons, from 2005 until 2009. The series revolves around two brothers; one has been sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit, and the other devises an...

    ,
    Haywire buys beer for two locals. He finds out that one of them has an abusive father just like himself. He follows the teenage girl back home where he kills the girl's father.

Notable residents

  • Green Bay, Wisconsin
    Green Bay, Wisconsin
    Green Bay is a city in and the county seat of Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, located at the head of Green Bay, a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It has an elevation of above sea level and is located north of Milwaukee. As of the 2010 United States Census,...

     Mayor Harris Burgoyne
    Harris Burgoyne
    -Biography:Burgoyne was born on June 30, 1910 to George and Delia Burgoyne in Chicago, Illinois. On April 30, 1936 he would marry Ethel Hunter. He died in 1994 and was buried in Algoma, Wisconsin.-References:...

     was buried in Algoma.
  • U.S. Air Force Brigadier General Richard W. Fellows
    Richard W. Fellows
    Brigadier General Richard W. Fellows was a United States Air Force officer who served during World War II and the Cold War.He was born in Algoma, Wisconsin, in 1914. He graduated from Algoma High School in 1931 and attended the University of Wisconsin for a year and a half.-Early career:In 1933,...

     was born in Algoma.
  • Navy Cross
    Navy Cross
    The Navy Cross is the highest decoration that may be bestowed by the Department of the Navy and the second highest decoration given for valor. It is normally only awarded to members of the United States Navy, United States Marine Corps and United States Coast Guard, but can be awarded to all...

     recipient John M. Gross
    John M. Gross
    John M. Gross served in the United States Marine Corps during World War II. He was awarded the Navy Cross for his actions during the Battle of Tarawa.His award citation reads:...

     was born in Algoma.
  • Wisconsin State Senator M. W. Perry
    M. W. Perry
    -Career:Perry was a member of the Senate from 1911 to 1918. Previously, he was Mayor of Algoma, Wisconsin in 1910. He was a Republican....

     was Mayor of Algoma.
  • Roman Catholic Bishop Mark Francis Schmitt
    Mark Francis Schmitt
    Mark Francis Schmitt was the tenth Roman Catholic bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Marquette, in Marquette, Michigan....

    was born in Algoma.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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