Crime Scene & Biohazard Cleanup Near Downtown Eleva Eleva, WI

Eleva is a village within the Town of Albion in Trempealeau County, in western Wisconsin, situated along the Buffalo River.

Eleva got its name by accident: the village was originally called "New Chicago," but a grain elevator had the letters "ELEVA" — the beginning of "ELEVATOR" — painted on it before winter struck, and newcomers assumed the letters were the village's name.

Eleva was founded in 1880, and a post office called Eleva has been in operation since 1885.

Eleva was incorporated in 1902, after village residents voted 53 to 11 in favor; a census taken for the incorporation petition counted just 314 people.

The first building in what became Eleva was a tamarack-log cabin built in 1863 by Joseph and Elizabeth Cooper near Big Creek.

In 1914 the village began furnishing electric service — at first only in the evenings, with extended hours on Tuesdays so the women could do their ironing.

Eleva's own school became a high school in 1917, but since 1950 local students have attended the shared Eleva-Strum high school, built midway between the two villages.

Eleva had 685 residents at the 2020 census; at the 2010 census its 670 residents lived in 292 households.

Eleva has deep Norwegian roots — about 44% of its residents report Norwegian ancestry, the largest single ancestry group in the village.