Trempealeau

Formed January 1, 1854 (49^th county)

Trempealeau County (30,756), Whitehall (1,651), Arcadia (3,734)

The tan brick Modern courthouse was built in 1956.  The facility is on Main Street at Kelly Street.  United States Highway 53 is Main Street in this part of the town.  Klinger and Associates provided the designs.  The building was enlarged in 1967, 1976, and 1982.  Etchings are on the building front.  There was an 1883 version earlier.  Trempealeau County was created on January 1, 1854 from parts of Crawford and La Crosse counties as the 49^th county.  Galesville (1854), Arcadia (1876 and 1878), and Whitehall (1877 and 1883) have all served as the county seat.  The county’s name is a French word meaning “foot in the water.”  The county seat is named for White Hall, Illinois. 

Trempealeau County government consists of a sheriff and 17 Supervisors.  One Circuit Court Judge and One Municipal Court Judge serve Trempealeau County.  Trempealeau County is on the western border with Minnesota.  The Mississippi River forms its southwest border.  Madison, Wisconsin is southeast and Minneapolis, Minnesota is northwest of the county.  The county center is 7.2 miles South-Southwest of Whitehall.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Eau Claire, Jackson, and La Crosse counties and Minnesota and Buffalo County. 

The area of the county is 733 square miles.  It is 38 out of 72 in the state.  It ranks 42 out of 72 in population in the state.  It has a density of 42.0 persons per square mile making it 40 out of 72 in the state.  Trempealeau County has 52.6% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 94 clips the northeast corner of the county from Eau Claire County, north, to Jackson County, east.  United States Highway 10 passes east to west from Jackson County to Buffalo County.  United States Highway 53 enters from the north, Eau Claire County, and exits to the southeast, La Crosse County.  The county is shaped like a glue gun pointing south.  Whitehall is located in the eastern half of the county.  Arcadia is near the southwest border of the county.  Whitehall is the county seat and Arcadia is the largest city.  Whitehall is 5.4% of the county population while Arcadia is 12.1% of the county population.  The county is pronounced TREM-PE-LOE.