Washburn Township

Clark County
Townships

Washburn Township

written and contributed by Kay Scholtz <scholtz@tznet.com>

Note: There are presently 33 townships in Clark County.
Thirty-two townships are of standard size each covering six square miles.
The Township of Foster includes two 6 square mile areas.

Washburn Township held its first meeting in April of 1873 and at that time also included Sherwood Township. It was named for C. C. Washburn, governor of Wisconsin at the time of its inception. Washburn had vast land holdings in Clark County with interests in logging. C. C. was a native of Maine and from a very prominent family. He settled in Wisconsin in 1842 setting up legal practice in Mineral Point. At the onset of the Civil War Washburn organized a regiment of Cavalry for Wisconsin and was titled as Major General. He also served as a U. S. senator. In addition to his logging interests he formed a partnership with John Crosby to create the Washburn Crosby Flour Mill in Minneapolis, MN, that later became known as General Mills and the manufacturer of Gold Medal Flour. C. C. Washburn resided and conducted much of his business at La Crosse, WI, and was buried there in 1882. He was also known for his philanthropy.