The Town of Stella is located in the Eastern quarter of Oneida County Wisconsin. The Town measures approximately six miles by six miles square and is bounded by the Towns of Monico, Pelican, Piehl, Pine Lake, Sugar Camp, and Three Lakes. The Town contains one unincorporated community known as Starks and is a short distance east of the City of Rhinelander, County Seat of Oneida County.
History
The town was named for Stella, a character mentioned in works by Jonathan Swift.
In 1912 Leonard Starks purchased 10,000 acres of land from the Menasha Wooden Ware Company and the Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie Railway Co. for agricultural purposes. He rebuilt the town and gave it his name, “Starks.” From 1914 on, it has been known as Starks. Mr. Starks, known as the “Potato King” became a producer as well as a buyer of potatoes. After his death, his daughter, Lelah Starks, took over the land and became one of Wisconsin’s most prominent potato growers and an internationally recognized authority in the specialized field of seed potatoes. Since then, seed potatoes from the farms in Stella Township have been shipped all over the United States. In recent years, a lot of the farm land has been sold off as residential parcels, and today the Town of Stella is largely a mix of agricultural and residential property. It is a very pretty site as various crops are rotated annually, displaying an array of color throughout the entire township. Our community has a population of approximately 670 residents, creating a “big family” atmosphere in the town.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 37.3 square miles (96.6 km2), of which, 35.3 square miles (91.5 km2) of it is land and 2.0 square miles (5.1 km2) of it (5.26%) is water.
Population
The population in Stella is 670. There are 19 people per square mile aka population density. The median age in Stella is 46, the US median age is 37.4. The number of people per household in Stella is 2.6, the US average of people per household is 2.6.
Family in Stella
- 74.0% are married
- 5.5% are divorced
- 29.6% are married with children
- 3.1% have children, but are single
Race in Stella
- 97.8% are white
- 0.0% are black
- 0.0% are asian
- 0.0% are native american
- 1.1% claim Other
- 1.1% claim Hispanic Ethnicity
- 0.0% Two or More Races
- 0.0% Hawaiian, Pacific Islander
In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.6% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 28.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $40,909, and the median income for a family was $46,375. Males had a median income of $36,375 versus $20,694 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,712. About 5.1% of families and 8.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.9% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.
Transportation
The Rhinelander-Oneida County Airport (KRHI) serves Stella, the county and surrounding communities with both scheduled commercial jet service and general aviation services.
Schools
Parents in Stella generally rely upon child care services offered in Rhinelander and Pine Lake or upon friends, relatives, and hired sitters to meet child care needs.
At one time, the Town of Stella had its own brick schoolhouse. The use of this facility has long since been discontinued. While Oneida County offers open enrollment for students, most Stella residents send children to school in Rhinelander or in Three Lakes depending upon their location in the Town.
The Three Lakes and Rhinelander Public School Districts operate independently from the Town Board and interaction between these entities and the Town is minimal in the official sense. The Town should closely monitor the activities of these school boards to ensure that these facilities anticipate changes in Stella in the future.
Healthcare
The Town of Stella does not offer any health care facilities. Town residents seeking medical attention usually travel to the hospital in nearby Rhinelander.
Hospitals and medical centers near Stella:
- MINISTRY ST MARYS HOSPITAL Acute Care Hospitals (about 5 miles away; RHINELANDER, WI)
- DAVITA – PINE CREST DIALYSIS (Dialysis Facility, about 9 miles away; RHINELANDER, WI)
- SACRED HEART, ST MARY’S INC HOSPICE (Hospital, about 9 miles away; RHINELANDER, WI)
- FRIENDLY VILLAGE (Nursing Home, about 11 miles away; RHINELANDER, WI)
- FRIENDLY VILLAGE NURSING AND REHAB CENTER (Nursing Home, about 11 miles away; RHINELANDER, WI)
- HORIZONS UNLIMITED (Nursing Home, about 11 miles away; RHINELANDER, WI)
- TAYLOR PARK NURSING AND REHAB CTR (Nursing Home, about 11 miles away; RHINELANDER, WI)
Outdoor Points of Interest
Outdoor recreation specifically identifies Stella Stadium and the playground behind Town Hall as well as two boat landings: the Stella Boat landing on Stella Lake and the Snowden Lake Public Beach.
The Town of Stella offers a very rural feel to its residents. The only platted community in the Town is Starks, which mainly comprises a tavern, a public park with ball diamond, and a Town Hall with a fire station. The rest of the community is made up of rural residences, forests, and farms. Respondents indicated that they most enjoyed Stella for its quietness, forests, cleanliness, and distance from urban centers. Several felt that Stella offered the amenities of rural living while still being within comfortable driving distance of large retail markets. Stella’s rural setting also lends itself to a variety of recreational outdoor activities such as fishing, hunting, boating, and hiking.
The Town of Stella has two well-known recreational camps for children. Camp Bryn Afon was started in 1916 and accommodated sixty girls. The Camp is now known as Camp Horseshoe and accommodates 200 boys per summer and is located on Snowden Lake. Camp Deerhorn for boys started on Moen’s Lake in neighboring Pine Lake in 1920. In 1929, Camp Deerhorn relocated to its present location on the north side of Fourth Lake. Donald Dr. Broadbridge III and his two brothers operate this family-owned camp. Stella is a common destination for people seeking “quiet” recreation activities such as hiking, fishing, and bird watching, and cross-country skiing. Visitors also participate in some motorized activities like snowmobiling and power boating. Generally these activities take place on privately held lands with the owner’s permission for public use.
The Town of Stella maintains one park known as Stella Stadium. This park is located behind Town Hall on Stella Lake Road in Section 26. The grass stadium is used primarily for baseball and softball events and consists of a fenced field, concession stand, bleachers, and temporary canopies for weather protection. There is a small playground near the stadium with a teeter-totter, swings, pull up bars, and climbing bars.
Great Lakes or Chains
Lakes have a significant impact on Stella’s development pattern because of the variety of opportunities they provide to property owners and visitors. Property values, community character, fishing, wildlife, and recreation are all dependent upon the level of protection and quality of these surface waters. According to the WDNR, the lakes that are found in Stella are of three different types: drainage lakes are lakes that have both an inlet and outlet for stream drainage; seepage lakes are landlocked water bodies where the principal source of water is precipitation, runoff, and groundwater from the immediate drainage area; drained lakes are lakes with no inlet but a continuously flowing outlet.
The fifteen named lakes of Stella are inventoried with brief descriptions below:
Angelo Lake This landlocked seepage lake is approximately 34 acres in size and twelve feet at its deepest point. The Angelo Lake area is surrounded by farmland uses, but there is insufficient data available to assess phosphorous content of the lake.
Del Stengl Lake (Jennie Raisen Lake) This 33-acre lake is home to Bluegill and Largemouth Bass and reaches a depth of 19 feet. The lake lies in Section 19 of Stella near some limited residential and agricultural activity. This lake has been recommended for monitoring by the WDNR.
Dollar Lake Dollar Lake is located in Section 4 of Stella and is approximately six acres in size. This small seepage lake only measures eleven feet at the deepest point and has no public access.
Fifth Lake This is the fifth lake in a chain of five along the North Branch of the Pelican River. At 240 acres and only nine feet in depth, Fifth Lake has a very low sensitivity to phosphorous loading.
Fourth Lake This is the fourth lake in a chain of five along the North Branch of the Pelican River. This wide but shallow lake measures 258 acres and nine feet deep. Unfortunately, Fourth Lake has poor water quality and its shallowness makes it sensitive to phosphorous loading.
Ginty Lake Only the western part of Ginty Lake lies within the Town of Stella. Water quality has not been officially tested on the lake, but the WDNR recommends monitoring quality. Fishing is not popular on this lake during the winter because fish are unprotected and subject to winterkill. The lake is 131 acres and only twelve feet deep.
Mud Lake Mud Lake is a fifteen-acre seepage lake on the eastern edge of Stella. This landlocked lake is only a few feet deep and is isolated from all other surface water bodies in the area. This lake is relatively close to making the transition between water body to bog.
Second Lake This is the second lake in a chain of five along the North Branch of the Pelican River. This wide but shallow lake measures 111 acres and eleven feet deep. Unfortunately, Second Lake has poor water quality and its shallowness makes it sensitive to phosphorous loading.
Snowden Lake Snowden Lake is possibly the most developed lake in the Town of Stella. Nearly the entire shoreline is used for residential and resort land uses. The lake is only twelve feet deep but measures 135 acres in size.
Starks Flowage This isolated lake is nine feet deep at its lowest point and approximately 120 acres in size. The lake has a rather erratic shoreline as is common with flowages that have backed up and flooded low-lying areas.
Starks Spring This natural spring-formed lake is only thirteen acres in size and seven feet deep. There is little information available on the water quality of this lake, but its proximity to major agricultural practices gives cause for concern to regularly monitor the lake’s water quality.
Stella Lake Stella Lake is the largest lake in the Town of Stella. Measuring 405 acres and 22 feet deep, this lake is popular for recreational activities and shoreland development. The lake has public boat access on its west side and has been significantly impacted by phosphorous loading.
Sunset Lake This 33-acre lake reaches a depth of 26 feet and feeds Second Lake. The lake lies in Section 30 of Stella bounded by significant residential development on the south shore. Sunset Lake is part of the Moen’s Lake Chain Association.
Tenderfoot Lake This small, isolated lake is 22 feet deep at its lowest point and approximately 24 acres in size. While very close to Starks Flowage, Tenderfoot Lake is not connected and receives its water by seepage of groundwater.
Third Lake This is the third lake in a chain of five along the North Branch of the Pelican River. This lake is slightly deeper than some others in the chain, but is still subject to the same problems with phosphorous loading. Third Lake measures 103 acres and fourteen feet deep. Third Lake is part of the Moen’s Lake Chain Association.
Art Centers, Community Centers, and ETC
The Town of Stella offers a very rural feel to its residents. The only platted community in the Town is Starks, which mainly comprises a tavern, a public park with ball diamond, and a Town Hall with a fire station. The rest of the community is made up of rural residences, forests, and farms. Respondents indicated that they most enjoyed Stella for its quietness, forests, cleanliness, and distance from urban centers. Several felt that Stella offered the amenities of rural living while still being within comfortable driving distance of large retail markets. Stella’s rural setting also lends itself to a variety of recreational outdoor activities such as fishing, hunting, boating, and hiking.
The Town Hall was built in 1965. The Hall serves as an official meeting place for the Town Board, an administrative office, and a vehicle garage for the fire department. Near the Town Hall is a shed used for storing miscellaneous equipment.
Average Home Price Sold
2018 Ave Price Sold: $137,276.67
2021 Ave Price Sold: $201,280.00
2023 Ave Price Sold: $230,316.67
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