Alpha, Wisconsin

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Alpha, Wisconsin
Unincorporated community
USA Wisconsin location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Alpha
Location within the state of Wisconsin
Coordinates: 45°46′19″N92°34′9″W / 45.77194°N 92.56917°W / 45.77194; -92.56917
Country Flag of the United States.svg  United States
State Flag of Wisconsin.svg  Wisconsin
County Burnett
Town Wood River
Time zone UTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-5 (CDT)
Area codes 715 & 534

Alpha is an unincorporated community in the town of Wood River, Burnett County, Wisconsin, United States. [1] The community is located in the western part of the county, in northwestern Wisconsin. [2] There are fewer than a dozen households in the community.

Contents

History

Alpha was settled primarily by Scandinavian immigrants from the Småland District of Sweden. The community was originally called Småland Prairie, a name rejected by the United States Postmaster General. The town's postmaster, also the local buttermaker, at a loss to come up with a better name, simply filled in the name of his Alpha brand cream separator. [3]

The postmaster's butter business eventually became the Burnett Dairy Co-op. Early on, it processed so much milk that the excess whey turned the stream a creamy color; thus the stream's name, Buttermilk Creek.

The Alpha Store survived long after most general stores had closed. The business was owned through most of its years by the Anderson family. Gordon Anderson, the last owner of the store, sold everything from shoes to groceries to television sets. The building is now home to a small engine repair shop.

Geography

The nearest major metropolitan area is Minneapolis/St. Paul, located approximately 70 miles to the south-southwest. Alpha is situated on Highway 70, 5 miles east of Grantsburg and 10 miles west of Siren.

Alpha is surrounded by flat, fertile farmland. Buttermilk Creek passes through town, running alongside the highway until it joins the Wood River about one mile west of town. The stream is small enough to jump across, though it rarely runs dry, even in the height of summer. It drains a sizeable shallow wetland to the east of town, known as the Falun Meadows.

Business and industry

The largest employer in Alpha is the Burnett Dairy Co-op, which produces string cheese. Attached to the cheese factory is a retail outlet that sells dairy products, groceries, and souvenirs. The Co-op also includes a feed mill, with an attached hardware store. A small engine shop is located in the former general store.

Alpha has a bed and breakfast, an Evangelical Covenant Church, and the Wood River Town Hall.

Alpha formerly had an elementary school operated by the Grantsburg School District, but was shut down in 2024. [4]

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References

  1. ↑ "Alpha, Wisconsin". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. ↑ "Alpha, Burnett Co". www.wisconsinhistory.org. Archived from the original on June 11, 2011.
  3. ↑ "Alpha [origin of place name]". www.wisconsinhistory.org. Archived from the original on June 11, 2011.
  4. ↑ Marsten, Greg (September 14, 2023). "The last first day at Nelson Primary". burnettcountysentinel.com. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
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