Farmers of Mill Creek are year-round stewards of land

By Ken Blomberg
Mill Creek is a stream of minor fame. But, let it be known, the first sawmill in Portage County was erected upon this creek by Abraham Brawley back in 1839. Perry & Veeder occupied a site on the same stream soon after. Thus, the creek was forever after known as Mill Creek.
Today, its headwaters can be traced back to a storm water and wastewater drainage ditch coming out of Marshfield. From there, the creek slips quietly south of the villages of Auburndale, Blenker, Sherry, Milladore and Junction City, then turns south in the town of Carson and finally empties into the Wisconsin River at Biron Flowage.
Mill Creek is a 47-mile tributary of the Wisconsin River that drains 195 square miles of farmland, marshland and woodland. Our family lives in the Mill Creek watershed.
There’s an organized group called the “Friends of Mill Creek Watershed Inc.” which partners with the Wood and Portage County Land Conservation Departments “to educate the public about natural resources and programs that can help improve the environment and increase the overall value of Mill Creek.”
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