Its Register listing is the Dells Mill. Most of Bridge Creek was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1985. Below: maps from 1940 on and the census since 1990.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Bridge Creek is more historic than 52% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Bridge Creek’s overall grade.
Wisconsin towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Wisconsin town has 3.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Bridge Creek’s 4.2 sits near the middle of its state (65% of Wisconsin towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.9 points).
Founding year: our sources. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Bridge Creek’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Bridge Creek yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Bridge Creek is a town in Eau Claire County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,214 at the 2020 census. The city of Augusta is located entirely within the town of Bridge Creek. The unincorporated community of Hay Creek is also located in the town.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 1,900 to 2,214 (+17%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Bridge Creek in 1914
Passages that mention Bridge Creek, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Eau Claire county, Wisconsin, past and present1914 · page 612Read the page →
Read the text
Page, was the county government until February 24, 1857, when the town of Bridge Creek was organized. It consisted of what is now the towns of Otter Creek, Lincoln, Clear Creek, Ludington, Fairchild and Bridge Creek, a pretty big town, but at that time not of any considerable importance in the affairs of state.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Eau Claire county, Wisconsin, past and present1914 · page 37Read the page →
Read the text
In 1867 the town of Otter Creek was organized and set off from Bridge Creek. It comprised what is now the towns of Otter Creek and Clear Creek. In the division of the town funds after all debts had been paid Otter Creek had $232.94, and Bridge Creek had $412.18.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
By decade
No old photos in the archives yet
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
Bridge Creek is more historic than 52% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Bridge Creek?
One place: the Dells Mill (listed 1974).
How old are the homes in Bridge Creek?
9% of Bridge Creek’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.9 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1985.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From the National Register of Historic Places (1), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
