TimManBlog

Exploring Hudson, Wisconsin: Scenic Views and Local History

October 30, 2024 — photos and memories from my visit in October 2010.
(Please consider supporting my travels with a donation via PayPal, Visa, American Express, Mastercard, or Discover by using the form at the bottom of the post. Thank you.)

Welcome to Hudson, St. Croix County, Wisconsin! This prosperous little town is on the eastern bank of the St. Croix River, the boundary that separates Wisconsin from Minnesota. Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, are only 20 miles west of Hudson, so Hudson is close enough to commute to the Twin Cities. There are more Vikings fans here than Wisconsin Packers fans. You might call Hudson a refuge for those enjoying the Minnesota lifestyle without Minnesota laws.

I arrived in town late on a Monday afternoon. The central street downtown is 2nd Avenue. It was packed with rush hour traffic that had just exited Interstate 94 from the Twin Cities area. Hudson’s population is around 14,000, enough residents to make a busy downtown area.

Hudson was settled in 1840 and grew with the lumber industry. Many of the town’s downtown buildings are red brick structures built in the late 1800s. These stately old buildings have been decorated for the harvest season and Halloween.

I saw a few excellent restaurants along 2nd Avenue. There was a very authentic-looking German place. Their special soup today was liver soup, so I chose to pass.

Putting off dinner for a while, I walked along Hudson’s St. Croix riverfront park area. Flowing north and south between Minnesota and Wisconsin, the St. Croix River spreads out as wide as a lake at this point. It then flows another 20 miles south to join the Mississippi River. Here are two photos of Lakefront Park along the St. Croix River:

The park includes places for fishing from the old auto bridge, places to moor boats, and a memory of an early encampment of the Boy Scouts in 1910:

A few blocks from downtown, Hudson’s residential streets feature a collection of fine houses. They are situated behind wide sidewalks beneath grand shade trees. By now (October 10th), the trees have lost perhaps half their leaves, and those remaining are gold or red.

Below, clockwise from top left: a neighborhood church with a classic white steeple; a stately Victorian home; the old St. Croix County Courthouse and grounds; the same courthouse in greater detail showing its sandstone block construction and bell tower.

Before heading out of town the next morning, I stopped at the new St. Croix County Government complex on the outskirts of town. The new complex replaced the old county courthouse. Alas, new buildings so often lack the charm of the old classics.

Finally, I passed an old Hudson landmark, the Casanova Liquor Store, established in 1886. The franchise grew out of an old family-owned brewery.

---

A list of all photo posts from the American County Seats series in TimManBlog can be found here. All photos were taken by the author on October 11th and 12th, 2010.

My hobby is traveling to America’s county courthouses. Each month, I post about a visit to a scenic or exciting county seat. It’s a hobby, and donations are greatly appreciated to help cover my costs.