Cedar Creek (Wisconsin)
Cedar Creek is a 53-kilometre-long (33 mi)[1] stream in southeastern Wisconsin in the United States. The Cedar Creek watershed is a 330 km2 (127mi2) sub-basin of the larger Milwaukee River watershed.[2][3] It originates from in the town of West Bend, then flows east into Little Cedar Lake. Cedar Creek then flows eastward through Jackson Wisconsin toward Lake Michigan before turning south. Flowing southward the creek crosses State Highway 60 where there is a USGS gauge[4] and briefly flows through Grafton Wisconsin before entering Cedarburg Wisconsin on its north side. Cedar Creek flows through downtown Cedarburg, and empties into the Milwaukee River southeast of Cedarburg in the Town of Grafton. The lower section through Cedarburg is notable for its the steep slope, and early settlers made use of this by building several mills and accompanying dams.
The lower portion of the creek through downtown Cedarburg until its confluence with the Milwaukee River is adversely impacted by the milldams and PCB pollution produced by Mercury Marine and Amcast automotive.[5] Numerous cleanups have occurred, the most recent cleanup from the ruck pond to the wire and nail dam was completed in 2018, with cleanup from the wire and nail dam to the Milwaukee River set to take place in the 2020s.[5]
Mills[]
Several mills and accompanying dams were built on the lower portion of Cedar Creek in the mid and late 19th century. The mills proved successful and had large impacts on the local economy. By the early 20th century many of the mills had moved away from hydropower to more reliable steam or electric power.[6] Financial trouble for the mills began during the great depression and continued into later decades as larger mills and factories outcompeted the small mills. By the late 1960s all the mills had either ceased milling operations or shut down entirely. Today some of the mills have found other uses hosting stores, restaurants, offices, and a brewpub, while others remain unused or have been demolished.
| Mill Name | Year Built | Products Produced | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concordia Mill | 1853 | Grain | Dam washed out and removed 1996 |
| Excelsior Mill, later Cedarburg Wire and Nail Factory | 1871 | Grain, lumber, drawn steel, hydroelectricity | |
| Columbia Mill | 1843 | Grain | Demolished |
| Cedarburg Mill | 1844 | Grain | Rebuilt 1855 with current stone structure |
| Hilgen and Wittenberg Woolen Mill | 1864 | Textiles |
Flooding[]
Cedar Creek is normally a small low discharge stream, however like many streams it experiences regular flooding. In 1881 a sudden spring melt caused severe flooding that washed out all the milldams on Cedar Creek except the one at the Cedarburg Mill. The flood also washed away at least one bridge.[6] Large floods occurred in 1952, 1959, 1960, and 1975.[7] In 1996 flooding washed out the dam at the Concordia Mill, its millpond contained PCBs, and the washout complicated the cleanup by sending PCBs downstream.
| Location | Drained Area (km2) | 20 Year Flood (m3/s) | 50 Year Flood (m3/s) | 100 Year Flood (m3/s) | 500 Year Flood (m3/s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County Highway I | 280 | 71 | 128 | 157 | 184 |
| State Highway 60 USGS Gage 04086500 | 303 | 75 | 134 | 165 | 194 |
| At outlet | 320 | 76 | 138 | 169 | 200 |
Parks[]
| Name | Municipality |
|---|---|
| Adlai Horn Park, Cedar Creek Park, Boy Scout Park | Cedarburg |
| Grafton Lions Park | Grafton |
| Covered Bridge Park, Town of Cedarburg Canoe Launch | Town of Cedarburg |
| Jackson Marsh State natural Area | Jackson |
Bridges[]
| Road/Railroad Name | Times Crossed | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Rd | 1 | |
| Lakefield Rd | 1 | Washed out in the great spring flood of 1881, later rebuilt.[6] |
| Canadian National Railroad[8] | 4 | |
| Private | 1 | |
| Highland Avenue | 1 | Site of the Highland Avenue Bridge, built in 1939 as a PWA project. |
| Columbia Rd | 1 | |
| Bridge Rd | 1 | Original stone arch bridge re-decked, but original arches still visible. |
| State Highway 60 | 5 | |
| Cedar Creek Rd | 3 | |
| County Highway I | 1 | |
| Covered Bridge Rd | 1 | Site of the last covered bridge.[6] |
| Kaehlers Mill Rd | 1 | |
| County Highway NN | 2 | |
| County Highway Y | 1 | |
| County Highway M | 1 | |
| County Highway G | 1 | |
| Hickory Ln | 1 | |
| Sherman Rd | 2 | |
| Western Ave | 1 | |
| County Highway P | 1 | |
| Interstate 45 | 1 | |
| South Mayfield Rd | 1 | |
| Lily Rd | 2 | |
| Scenic Dr | 2 | |
| County Highway C | 1 | |
| Pleasant Valley Rd | 1 | |
| Hillside Rd | 1 |
Notes[]
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map Archived 2012-04-05 at WebCite, accessed May 19, 2011
- ^ "Milwaukee River Basin". Milwaukee Riverkeeper. Retrieved 2020-12-09.
- ^ Graham, Jackson (2015). "Climate Impact on Groundwater Flow Processes in the Cedar Creek Watershed and Cedarburg Bog". UWM Digital Commons.
- ^ "USGS Current Conditions for USGS 04086500 CEDAR CREEK NEAR CEDARBURG, WI". waterdata.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2020-12-08.
- ^ a b "CEDAR CREEK Site Profile". cumulis.epa.gov. Retrieved 2020-12-08.
- ^ a b c d "Early history of Ozaukee County, Wisconsin". 1965. Cite journal requires
|journal=(help) - ^ a b "Flooding Insurance Study | Ozaukee County, WI - Official Website". www.co.ozaukee.wi.us. Retrieved 2021-03-02.
- ^ "Wisconsin Railroad Map" (PDF).
Coordinates: 43°20′23″N 88°13′22″W / 43.33972°N 88.22278°W
- Rivers of Wisconsin
- Rivers of Ozaukee County, Wisconsin
- Rivers of Washington County, Wisconsin
- Wisconsin river stubs
- Superfund sites in Wisconsin