On its age, its old homes and the National Register, St. Croix Falls is more historic than 68% of U.S. towns. All 2 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of St. Croix Falls’ 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 St. Croix Falls’ 10.6 sits above most of its state (77% 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 (±6.6 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 St. Croix Falls’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
In the 1840s, the land that would become St. Croix Falls was indirectly settled by Nordic and Scandinavian Americans and German Americans. After the increase of logging and the founding of the Cushing Land Company, St. Croix Falls became incorporated in 1887. The logging industry became important in St. Croix Falls, attracting New England immigrants which started a chain reaction of cutting down vast amounts of white pine. They were sent down the St. Croix River and the Mississippi River. From the late 1890s on, the logging industry died down; the last log cut at the Saint Croix log mill was in 1914. This made St. Croix Falls a more agricultural town.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of St. Croix Falls. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1974St Croix Dalles NE sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of St. Croix Falls.
On the National Register
1 historic place in St. Croix Falls
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
St. Croix Falls is more historic than 68% 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 St. Croix Falls?
One place: the Lamar Community Center (listed 1982).
How old are the homes in St. Croix Falls?
14% of St. Croix Falls’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.6 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1978.
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 Wikimedia Commons (8), Wikidata (3), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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