The Eau Claire County courthouse on March 14, 2015
Eau Claire County was created by the Wisconsin state legislature on October 6, 1856 from land that had been part of Chippewa County. The new county had been organized as the Town of Clearwater within Chippewa County in 1855. This was renamed to Eau Claire (French for “Clear Water”) in 1856 before the new county was created.
The city of Eau Claire in the county seat and the Eau Claire River passes through the city. Supposedly the name Eau Claire comes from the French explorers in the 17th century. Apparently after canoeing on the somewhat muddy Chippewa River, they were impressed by the clarity of the water in the river which is now called Eau Claire. The city is the 9th largest city in Wisconsin.
The Eau Claire County courthouse is located at 721 Oxford Avenue in Eau Claire. We visited on Saturday March 14, 2015. The courthouse is part of the Government Center which is a fairly modern building in the downtown section of the city; not too far from the Eau Claire River.
My only real connection to Eau Claire comes from my youngest sister. She moved to Eau Claire after graduating from college. So I occasionally drive to Eau Claire to see her and my brother in law, my two nephews and their families. In fact we had stopped to see my sister before driving over to the courthouse.