-- From the "Historical
and Biographical Album of the Chippewa Valley Wisconsin, 1891-2" page 338.
Prairie Farm Township contains
fifty-four square miles, being nine miles in length from north to south,
and six miles in width from east to west. It is bounded on the north
by the town of Clinton, on the south by Chippewa county, on the east by
the towns of Maple Grove and Dallas, and on the west by the towns of Turtle
Lake and Vance Creek. The Hay river flows through it from north to
south, and has several branches running in various directions, including
Dorrity creek, on the east, and Turtle creek on the west. The hamlet
of Prairie Farm, sixteen miles southwest of Barron, was settled by Knapp,
Stout Y Co., in about 1868, when they erected a water-power saw-mill, and
subsequently a grist-mill at this point, on the Hay river. The latter
is now owned and operated by J. Hoffman.
There is an organization here
called the United Scandinavian Evangelical Lutheran congregation.
It was instituted in 1872 by Rev. C. J. Helsem, and he continued to minister
to the congregation until 1874, when he was succeeded by Rev. J. Hoyme.
He served from 1874 until 1876, residing during that time at Menomonie.
Rev. L. Lund filled the pastorate from 1876 to 1879, and was then followed
by Rev. H. Z. Hveid, who remained from 1879 to 1881. The charge was
then vacant until 1883. Since that time Rev. J. E. Nord, of Rice
Lake, has been the pastor. The frame church structure was completed
and first used for services in 1887. It is furnished with 300 seats,
and the church membership is 377.
The Methodist Episcopal church
is in charge of Rev. W. S. York.
The village was surveyed and platted, in November, 1883, by the owners, the Knapp, Stout & Co. Company. Sever Severson owns and operates a shingle-mill. A large quantity of the land in this vicinity has been timber cleared, and is now under cultivation. The township is one of the best in the county for farming purposes, and is well settled with a population of 1,047 in 1890.
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