Spooner is a city in Washburn County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,573 at the 2020 census. The city is located mostly within the southwest corner of the Town of Spooner, with a small portion extending into the Town of Beaver Brook on the south, the Town of Bashaw on the southwest, and the Town of Evergreen on the west. The city's nickname, Crossroads of the North, is a reference to the city's location at the junction of two U.S. highways, 53 and 63, and State Highways 70 and 253.
History
Originally a town in the year 1889, and thereafter officially incorporated a city in the year 1909, Spooner's history is closely interlaced with that of railroad history. In the year 1879, the North Wisconsin Railway was constructed due north of the present-day city of Spooner. Following that, the operations of that railroad were moved south where it then joined the Chicago and Northwestern at what was then coined as Chicago Junction.
The community, then initially only a station, was named by the general superintendent for the Chicago and Northwestern, Edwin W. Winter, for John Coit Spooner (1843 - 1919), who at the time was a distinguished railroad attorney from what is now the city of Hudson in St. Croix County, northwestern Wisconsin. Spooner would later serve in the Wisconsin State Assembly and represent Wisconsin in the United States Senate (1885-1891, 1897-1907). He was a well favoured politician of his time and even served as advisors to U.S. Presidents Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, and Theodore Roosevelt.
Eventually, the lines were absorbed by the Chicago & North Western Railroad. Passenger service ended in the early 1960s under the CNW ownership. In 1992, the Wisconsin Great Northern Railroad was incorporated, to serve as a freight hauler from Spooner to Trego, a nearby town, with a connection to the CNW. Although the freight idea didn't work out, they began operating successful passenger excursion trains in 1997 (following the example of the nearby Duluth & Northern Minnesota Railroad which began passenger excursions in Duluth only a few years before), and were an instant success. The passenger trains were very successful, and after the 1995 takeover of the CNW by the Union Pacific, UP in 1998 announced intentions to abandon the line from Hayward Junction where it connected to the Wisconsin Central to the north through Spooner all of the way down to Chippewa Falls. The company bought the portion of the line between Spooner and Hayward Jct in 1999, which greatly expanded passenger operations. To this day they run very popular robbery, western style, cowboy, and buffet style as well as more formal dinner trains. More recently, the Great Pumpkin train nearly sold out and now runs annually around the time of Halloween. The old CNW Spooner Railroad Depot now serves as the town's Railroad Memories Museum.
The city was also once the hub of the Omaha Railroad Line. Its economy was once centered on the railroad and the two main lines that joined there.
Geography
Spooner is located at (45.825941, −91.891116).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which, is land and is water.
Climate
Spooner has a Humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb), typical of northern Wisconsin with warm, humid summers and relatively long, cold winters.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the census of 2020, there were 2,573 people, 1,266 households, 669 families, and 1,289 housing units. The racial makeup of the city was 94.9% White, 0.3% African American, 1.4% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.65% from other races, and 5.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.7% of the population.
There were 1,266 households, of which 20.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.2% were married couples living together, 42.7% were living alone, and 47.4% had at least one person 60 years or older. The average household size was 1.97 and the average family size was 2.58.
The median age in the city was 47 years. 20.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 53.2% were between the ages of 18 and 65; and 26.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.4% male and 49.6% female.
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 2,682 people, 1,180 households, and 666 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,302 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.1% White, 0.3% African American, 1.9% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.3% of the population.