The Pierce County area was explored during the 1670’s by Father Louis Hennepin and French traders. The first settlement was made at Prescott, the junction of the St. Croix and Mississippi Rivers, in 1827. The County was created in 1853, and while not generally timbered, logging was carried on in the Rush, Eau Galle, and Kinnickinnic River valleys. By 1855, the county was settled for farming and dairy cattle were introduced. Rich fertile soils with a minimum amount of clearing required made the land ideal for rapid development. Wheat, corn, and oats became the principal field crops.

Excellent river transportation provided ready means of moving farm products to market. Ellsworth was established as the county seat and became the initial population center of the county. The original courthouse was built in 1879, the present one in 1905. Today, Pierce County is a nice place to visit and a good place to live. Its fine schools, highways, churches, nursing homes, and constantly expanding business and industry are only a few of the things which offer much in the way of permanent advantages. Pierce County welcomes tourists to the area to visit the many fine golf courses, recreation areas, one of the largest dams in Northwest Wisconsin, and the University of Wisconsin in River Falls.