Washburn, Wisconsin

:There is also the Town of Washburn in Clark County.

Related Topics:
Town of Washburn - Clark County

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Washburn is a city located in Bayfield County, in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 2,280. The city is just east of and adjacent to the Town of Washburn. It is in northern Wisconsin, on the shore of Lake Superior's Chequamegon Bay.

Related Topics:
Bayfield County - U.S. state - Wisconsin - 2000 - Town of Washburn - Lake Superior - Chequamegon Bay

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Founded in 1879, the city was named for Cadwallader C. Washburn, Republican governor of Wisconsin from 1872 until 1874.

Related Topics:
1879 - Cadwallader C. Washburn - 1872 - 1874

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Initially, the city's economy was based on lumbering, with sawmills lining the busy waterfront. In 1905, the DuPont company opened an explosives plant just outside town, providing an important source of employment as timber resources were growing scarce. The closing of the DuPont plant in 1971 was a severe blow to the local economy.

Related Topics:
1905 - DuPont

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Sandwiched between the industrial city of Ashland and the prosperous tourist village of Bayfield, Washburn continues to struggle to find its identity. The opening years of the twenty-first century saw the small town riven with dissension between progressive elements striving to develop the town's economy in a sustainable manner that embraces the regions natural beauty, and a short-sighted city council eager to trade municipal assets and public land for short-term gain.

Related Topics:
Ashland - Bayfield

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