Why visit Cornell
Townapedia lists 2 museums and landmarks, 7 parks and trails, 7 places to eat and 1 place to stay in and around town.
Highlights include Cornell Pulpwood Stacker, Pulp Wood Stacker and Brunet Island State Park.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 80°F; January lows average 2°F.
Weather in Cornell
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Cornell
Cornell is a city in Chippewa County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,453 at the 2020 census, down from 1,467 at the 2010 census. It is located on the Chippewa River, upstream from Lake Wissota and Chippewa Falls, where Highway 64 crosses the river and Highway 27.
From the Wikipedia article Cornell, Wisconsin (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Museums and landmarks2
Cornell Pulpwood Stacker
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.8 mi
Pulpwood stacker in Cornell, Wisconsin
Parks, trails and playgrounds7
Restaurants and cafes7
Where to stay1
History
The Cornell area was long visited by Sioux and Chippewa people passing up and down the Chippewa River.
The early white settlement was called Brunet Falls, named for Jean Brunet, who opened a trading post in the area in 1843. Brunet was a French-born American who served in the U.S. Army and led the building in 1836 of the first dam and sawmill in the then-wilderness at Chippewa Falls. After that he moved up the river another 30 miles and built a log cabin a mile below what would become Cornell on the west bank of the river. From his log cabin he ran a trading post that initially served Indians, and later grew into a stopping place (inn) for loggers and traders heading upriver.
The city was named for Ezra Cornell, one of the founders of Western Union, who owned a very large amount of timber land in the area. Upon his death in 1874, this land became a part of the endowment for the Ivy League university that bears his name.
Cornell has the U.S.'s only surviving pulpwood stacker, a huge device built next to the Chippewa River in 1911 to quickly and safely stack large quantities of pulpwood logs for storage until they could be processed in the paper mill nearby. The stacker has been unused since 1971, but is considered a historical treasure.
From the History section of Cornell, Wisconsin on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Churches and places of worship2
Shopping1
Gas and EV charging2
Schools, colleges and libraries9
Healthcare1
Marshfield Clinic Cornell Center
Clinic and pharmacy · 0.7 mi
600 Woodside Drive, Cornell
Map of Cornell
32 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 22°F | 2°F | 1.0 in |
| Feb | 28°F | 6°F | 1.0 in |
| Mar | 39°F | 18°F | 1.7 in |
| Apr | 54°F | 32°F | 3.0 in |
| May | 66°F | 44°F | 3.9 in |
| Jun | 75°F | 54°F | 4.7 in |
| Jul | 80°F | 59°F | 3.9 in |
| Aug | 77°F | 56°F | 4.3 in |
| Sep | 70°F | 48°F | 3.7 in |
| Oct | 56°F | 36°F | 3.0 in |
| Nov | 40°F | 24°F | 1.9 in |
| Dec | 28°F | 12°F | 1.3 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Holcombe (4 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Chippewa County has had 7 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for biologicals.
- 2020-04-04: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
- 2020-03-13: Covid-19 (Biological)
- 2016-10-20: Severe Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides (Flood)
- 2005-09-13: Hurricane Katrina Evacuation (Hurricane)
- 2004-06-18: Severe Storms And Flooding (Severe Storm)
- 2002-09-10: Severe Storms, Tornadoes And Flooding (Tornado)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Chippewa Valley Regional Airport (EAU) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 26 miles away.
- Jim Falls 10 mi southwest, about 16 min by car
- Cadott 15 mi south, about 24 min by car
- Bloomer 17 mi west, about 28 min by car
- Stanley 17 mi southeast, about 28 min by car
- Chippewa Falls 20 mi southwest, about 32 min by car
- Eau Claire 29 mi southwest, about 47 min by car
- Colfax 30 mi west, about 49 min by car
- Menomonie 42 mi southwest, about 1 h by car
- Boyceville 44 mi west, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Athens 53 mi east, about 1 h 30 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Downtown Cornell, WI, TheCatalyst31, CC0
- Cornell Pulpwood Stacker, Jeff the quiet, CC0
Page built October 30, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.