715-723-1146. OPEN: Monday through Thursday 9am-7pm, Friday 9am-5:30pm & Saturday 9am-1pm. infoservice@mycfpl.org
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Local History & Genealogy

The Chippewa Falls Public Library collects and maintains information pertaining to Chippewa Falls and the surrounding area.

As a service to those who cannot visit the library, library staff will perform limited research.

Requests for photocopies of obituaries must state an exact death date, which includes date, month and year. 

Chippewa County Census Records on Microfilm
  • Territorial and State Census for 1836, 1838, 1842, 1846, 1847, 1855,1875, 1885, 1895, 1895 and 1905
  • Federal Census for 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1890 (Civil War veterans only), 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930.
Chippewa County Census Records on CD-ROM
  • Federal Census for 1870 and 1900
Census Indexes
  • Bound indexes for the 1830, 1836,1838 and 1842 are located in the Wisconsin Archives.
  • An index for 1905 is on microfilm
Newspapers
  • The city newspaper as published under various names is available on microfilm from January 12, 1867 to present. (Microfilm List)
  • The Chippewa Falls Public Library is happy to announce an initiative to digitize the vast collection of microfilmed newspapers that are housed in our Local History Room. Thus far, we have digitized up to 1915.  https://chippewafalls.advantage-preservation.com/
City Directories
  • The collection of city directories for Chippewa Falls includes 1883, 1914, 1917 1920, 1923, 1926, 1929, 1934, 1937, 1940, 1943, 1945, 1948, 1950-51, 1952-53, 1955, 1956-57, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1967, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002.
  • The most current city directory is located at the Information Desk.
  • The Library also has a few tri-county directories (Chippewa, Dunn & Eau Claire Counties, plus the city of Rice Lake).
Chippewa County Atlases and Platbooks
  • Wisconsin Counties on microfilm includes a 1888 Chippewa County platbook.
  • Platbooks from 1920, 1930 and a 1945, 1961, 1966, 1972, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1984, 1986, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1995 and 1997 are located in the Wisconsin Archives.
  • The most current platbook is shelved at the Information Desk.
High School Yearbooks
  • Copies of some of the local high school yearbooks for both the public and parochial school are housed in the Wisconsin Archives.

Chippewa County Genealogical Society
12 Bridgewater Ave
Chippewa Falls, WI 54729
(715) 723-4399

Hours
Friday: 11 -3pm.
Saturday: 11-3pm.
Sunday: 11-3pm. 

 

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
Family History Center
3335 Stein Blvd.
Eau Claire, WI 54701
(715) 834-8271

Community Foundation of Chippewa County Library Endowment Fund. (Note: In the field under “Designation,” please enter “Chippewa Falls Public Library.”)

Donate here

Partner Resources

University of Wisconsin Digital Collections

  • Local history collections of 14 West-Central and Northwestern Wisconsin public libraries. These libraries, and many other Indianhead Federated Library System member libraries, serve as repositories for important local history documents. The Indianhead Federated Library System is comprised of 53 member public libraries in the region.
  • The collection contains texts (including community records, local history narratives and retrospectives, high school yearbooks, and maps) and images of community sites, events, and residents.

Life and Lumbering in Chippewa Falls – Wisconsin Historical Society

  • A remarkable collection of digitized historical photographs by Alfred A. Bish documents life in turn-of-the-20th-century Chippewa Falls, with particular attention to the area’s lumbering industry and the landscape of the region. Additional photos in the collection depict the area’s many mills and factories, as well as area residents posing for Bish’s cameras in his studio. The Wisconsin Historical Society’s collection contains 335 photos by Bish, including glass plates and original prints, with 150 of them now online.

Recollection Wisconsin

  • A place to discover and share your Wisconsin story. This website provides Wisconsin residents and audiences worldwide with free access to a growing set of historical resources from the collections of libraries, archives, museums and historical societies across the state. But this site is a place for more than just viewing digital resources. You’re also invited to contribute your own memories, images, knowledge and thoughts.

Our YouTube Channel Chippewa Falls Public Library has historic hometown videos available to watch from the comfort of your home.

Online services offered.

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