Black Creek is a village in north-central Outagamie County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,357 at the 2020 census. The village is located within the Town of Black Creek, but is governed independently. Origins of the community trace back to 1862 when it was settled by American Civil War veteran, Thomas J. Burdick and his son, Abraham. Initially, the village had been referred to as Middleburg, due to its geographical proximity to Green Bay, Shawano, and Appleton. However, the name was later changed to reflect the dark-colored creek along the outskirts of the community following village incorporation in 1904. Today, Black Creek hosts a variety of community events including the annual Family Daze celebration.
History
In the Menominee language, Black Creek is known as Enāēnohnyah, "Little Walks Plainly", which is a man's name. The territory where Black Creek is today was originally occupied by several different Native American nations. The Menominee ceded the territory in the 1836 Treaty of the Cedars, while the Ho-Chunk were pressured into selling their land and illegally removed from the area before the eight year grace period guaranteed in their 1837 treaty.
The village of Black Creek was then settled by American Civil War veteran, Thomas J. Burdick and his son, Abraham L. Burdick, in 1862. The community had been known as Middleburg, due to its geographical proximity to the larger communities of Green Bay, Shawano, and Appleton. After village incorporation in 1904, the settlement was renamed Black Creek to reflect the dark-colored creek along the northern edge of the community. Black Creek's first village president was, politician and businessman, Charles J. Hagen.
In 1869, the country's first organized baseball team was formed in Black Creek by L.J. Cook. Thus, the village is known as the birthplace of Wisconsin baseball. At the time, the team played at the village's North Park. It was a part of the Dairyland League before the team disbanded in the mid-1990s. Black Creek's major rivalries were with the Navarino Rangers and the Nichols Nitros. To commemorate the village's baseball history, a "Grudge Match" softball game is played annually.
After the arrival of the Green Bay and Lake Pepin Railroad in 1871, the small lumbering settlement soon developed into a trade and shipping center for local farm and dairy products with the establishment of Black Creek Creamery in 1894 and Borden's Condensery in 1917.
The village library was formed in 1901. The following year, 1902, a large fire destroyed part of the community, leading to the construction of the village fire department in 1904. In 1910, telephone service was made available to residents, with electricity making its debut in 1915. A north-south route of the Soo Line Railroad was constructed through the community in 1917.
The Black Creek area was formerly the nation's leader in sauerkraut production. Thus, the village has supported multiple sauerkraut production facilities since the late 1880s until Frank Pure Food Company and Wolf River Kraut ceased operations in the village during the mid-1990s.
Geography
Location
Black Creek is located at (44.474517, −88.450125). The northeastern Wisconsin community is situated at the intersection of WIS-47 and WIS-54, about 20 miles (40 km) west of Green Bay and 15 miles (24 km) north of the Fox Cities. It is in the Central Plains and Eastern Ridges and Lowlands regions of Wisconsin.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , of which, of it is land and is water.
Climate
Black Creek has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb). Like other cities with this type of climate, there are four distinct seasons, often with severe or extreme variation between them in terms of temperature and precipitation. The village experiences warm, humid, frequently hot summers and long, cold and snowy winters. The variance in temperature and precipitation between months is severe and often extreme.
Temperature
Monthly mean temperatures range from in January to in July. In July, the warmest month, the average high temperature is . There are 8 days of + highs, 163 days where the high remains at or below freezing annually. From December to February, even during thaws, the temperature rarely reaches . Extremes have ranged from to .