Community Information & Links 

Statistics:

Rice Lake, population 8,312, is Barron County's largest community. It is a thriving community with a strong industrial base. Rice Lake is a large and growing regional trade and commerce center. Rice Lake has excellent educational facilities including the University of Wisconsin Barron County Campus and the Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College. Health care is another strength of this community. And nature supplies area residents and visitors with some of the finest recreational opportunities available.

History:

Rice Lake had its beginning in 1864, when Knapp, Stout and Company, famed Menomonie logging firm, constructed a storage dam on the site of an earlier Indian village and a wild rice bed, taking the name of the community from that location.

A mill was started at the dam in 1871 by M.W. Heller, who was the first permanent settler to move his family here. Heller was also in charge of the first store, hotel and blacksmith shop, which made the settlement center for northern operations of Knapp, Stout and Company until the large stands of white pines in the area were exhausted.

The original plan of the city, made in 1875 under auspices of the Knapp, Stout firm, included a 100-foot wide thoroughfare that is still the heart of the business district.

Web Links:

• City of Rice Lake Web Site
• Rice Lake Main Street Association
• Rice Lake School District
• Rice Lake Chamber of Commerce
• Rice Lake Economic Development
• Rice Lake Airport
• Rice Lake Utilities
• Rice Lake Tourism and Retail Commission
• Rice Lake Map (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader, PDF format)
• Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College - Rice Lake Campus
• University of Wisconsin - Barron County Campus
• Barron County Government Web Site
• Barron County Resource Guide
• Barron County Map (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader, PDF format)
• Rice Lake Chronotype