Cornell, WI

Cornell grew beside the Chippewa River, first as Brunet Falls and later under the name of Ezra Cornell, whose timber claims brought him to Jean Brunet's trading post. A dam and sawmill put the river to work, and the 1911 Cornell Wood Products mill left behind the huge pulpwood stacker now standing in Mill Yard Park. The stacker ran until 1971; today it is the town's unmistakable industrial relic. Downtown is also the northern end of the Old Abe State Trail, while Brunet Island State Park sits just across the water. Cornell is a river-and-lumber town where the old mill machinery still tells the story better than a sign does.