BlockFrom the record
13 National Register listings published here · the county-history sources tell 2 stories.
Sources: the county history on the Internet Archive · the National Register database, National Park Service
Monroe County, Wisconsin
64 topographic sheets cover 30 settlements here, and 13 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.
Research this county
What the record shows
- 371 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
- 13 properties here are on the National Register of Historic Places: 12 buildings and 1 district.
- 1 of the 13 listings was added during the 1970s.
- The Geographic Names Information System records 30 populated places in this county; 30 are covered by at least one topographic sheet.
- 1 public-domain county history, 1912, supplies 41,901 words of narrative reproduced here.
What happened here
2 accountsAmong them: The City Of Sparta 267. These passages come from the identified county-history source books. Each inset names its own source and opens the exact section it comes from.
The City Of Sparta 267
Janesville, Wisconsin, where it was mustered into service. The regiment left the state and went via Chicago to St. Louis, IMarch 26, 1862. "While on the Northwestern railroad, near Chicago, it met with a very serious accident, which resulted in the loss of twelve men. Company A alone having seven men killed and several were severely injured.
The City Of Sparta 267
Janesville, Wisconsin, where it was mustered into service. The regiment left the state and went via Chicago to St. Louis, March 26, 1862. While on the Northwestern railroad, near Chicago, it met with a very serious accident, which resulted in the loss of twelve men, Company A alone having seven men killed and several were severely injured.
Places on the National Register
13Every property in this county listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the year it was listed and the federal nomination document.
| Photograph | Property | Type | Listed | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Kendalls Depot | building | 1981 | 81000050 |
 | Albert and Theresa Marx House | building | 2007 | 07000835 |
 | Monroe County Courthouse | building | 1982 | 82000689 |
| Sparta Free Library | building | 1981 | 81000051 | |
| Sparta High School | building | 2021 | 100006747 | |
| Sparta Masonic Temple | building | 1987 | 87001734 | |
 | St. John's Episcopal Church | building | 1983 | 83003406 |
| St. Lucas Evangelical German Lutheran Church and Cemetery | building | 2019 | 100004276 | |
 | Tomah Boy Scout Cabin | building | 2017 | 100001856 |
 | Tomah Post Office | building | 2000 | 00001498 |
| Tomah Public Library | building | 1976 | 76000068 | |
| Water Street Commercial Historic District | district | 1992 | 92001554 | |
 | William G. and Anne Williams House | building | 2005 | 05000531 |
Wildfire, 1992 to 2020
870 firesEvery wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 870 of them, burning about 1,574 acres. 15 started naturally and 40 were recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 253 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 205 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 171 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 68 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 40 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 33 |
| Other causes | 22 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 21 |
| Smoking | 19 |
| Natural | 15 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 14 |
| Fireworks | 9 |
The five largest, by the area the report gives. None of them was recorded as arson.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 April 2009 | Equipment and vehicle use | 93 acres | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 6 March 2000 | Debris and open burning | 82 acres | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 9 April 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 78 acres | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | BANGOR FIRE |
| 30 March 2002 | Equipment and vehicle use | 42 acres | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 27 April 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 40 acres | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 7 May 2004 | Debris and open burning | 38 acres | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 27 April 1996 | Debris and open burning | 37 acres | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 10 April 2003 | Debris and open burning | 36 acres | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | not named |
Every settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it - see the settlement index below.
Storms, 1955 to 2026
60 of 511 shownThe NOAA Storm Events Database holds 511 reports for this county, causing no deaths, 7 injuries and about $54,124,900 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.
| Kind of event | Reports |
|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 231 |
| Hail | 196 |
| Tornado | 26 |
| Flash Flood | 18 |
| Flood | 15 |
| Heavy Rain | 14 |
| Lightning | 8 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 |
| Wildfire | 1 |
The most serious of them, by death, then injury, then recorded damage. The accounts are quoted exactly as the forecast office filed them.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2004 | Tornado (F1) | Warrens | 3 hurt, $75,000 | no account filed |
| June 2022 | Tornado (EF2) | Ridgeville | 2 hurt, $700,000 | An EF2 tornado developed south of Tomah and moved northeast before crossing into Juneau County north of Shennington. The tornado crossed Interstates 90 & 94 and passed just to the east of Wyeville. Along its path, extensive tree damage occurred with some downed trees landing on homes, numerous semis were tipped over along Interstate 90/94 resulting in two injuries, a metal farm shed near Oakdale had several pieces of metal removed, and a few structures near Wyeville sustained damage, including at least one farm outbuilding that was destroyed. Up to three hour delays occurred along Interstate 90 after the tornado moved through. Monroe County declared a state of emergency. |
| September 2001 | Tornado (F0) | Angelo | 1 hurt, $20,000 | no account filed |
| August 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Warrens | 1 hurt, $4,000 | Several trees were blown down in Jellystone Park. One tree landed on a camper and injured someone. |
| August 2018 | Flash Flood | Leon | $26,500,000 | Runoff from heavy rain caused flash flooding to occur across the southern sections of Monroe County. Near Melvina, a resident had to be rescued from a home surrounded by flood waters. Flooding was extreme along the Little La Crosse River along and just east of Highway 27 between Cashton and Sparta where numerous homes were flooded, rescues were needed, and roads were damaged. Flooding along Moore Creek in Norwalk damaged some ballfields and the village office. In Kendall, a park along the Baraboo River was destroyed and a newly installed road to the village's wastewater treatment plant was washed out. Most of the flood damaged homes and business were along Glen Street. Across the county, 75 people had to be evacuated. At the Skogdalen cemetery, 90% of the gravestones markers were toppled, debris was up to 5 feet deep in places and ripped apart the road in front of the church. Numerous roads were closed, with most of these in the far southern part of the county in Portland, Jefferson, Sheldon, Wellington and Glendale Townships. Some of the impacted roads included: County Highway N, County Highway Z south of Wilton, County Highway P near Kendall, County Highway F south of Norwalk, County Highway D near Cashton, County Highway CM near Tomah, State Highway 33 east of Cashton, County Highway W north of Kendall, County Highway ET east of Tomah and County Highway F east of Melvina. The heavy rain and flooding caused three earthen flood control dams to fail and damaged three others. |
| April 2011 | Hail | Tomah | $6,500,000 | Hail ranging in size from a penny to tennis ball fell in Tomah. |
| July 2017 | Flash Flood | Warrens | $3,100,000 | Heavy rains, with totals of 6 to 8 inches, produced flash flooding across the western and central sections of Monroe County. A mudslide occurred between Sparta and Tomah in the Jackson Pass area that blocked State Highway 16. In Sparta, water spilled over the dam at Perch Lake prompting officials to advise people who lived downstream along the La Crosse River to evacuate, including a trailer park and water went over several roads. Around 10 roads across the county were closed because of the flooding. |
| July 2017 | Flood | Warrens | $3,050,000 | After the initial round of flash flooding, the lingering flood waters continued to cause problems across Monroe County into Friday, July 21st. Thirty-nine families across the county had to be evacuated and another 56 were affected by the flooding. State Highway 131 in the far southern part of the county was closed because of flooding along the Kickapoo River and State Highway 27 between Leon and Sparta was also closed. Several township roads were flooded along the La Crosse and Baraboo Rivers. A total of 10 state or county highways were closed because of the flooding. One home sustained major damage and another eight suffered minor damage. |
| August 1985 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $2,500,000 | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Flash Flood | Melvina | $1,350,000 | Mudslides forced the closure of some township roads. |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cashton | $1,000,000 | Elementary school roof blown off |
| May 2011 | Tornado (EF1) | Leon | $915,000 | This tornado passed into Monroe county just east of Rockland (La Crosse County) and continued to the east-northeast before dissipating in the southeast portion of Sparta. Along its path, the tornado destroyed one home east of Rockland, demolished 4 mobile homes and created damage to at least 50 homes in Sparta. At a car dealership on the south side of Sparta, a car was tossed 40 feet and flipped upside down and a billboard sign was knocked over on to a truck. Total damages from this tornado are estimated to be around $900 thousand. An estimated 200 customers lost power in Sparta as a result of this tornado. |
| May 2011 | Tornado (EF2) | Tunnel City | $510,000 | This tornado first developed about 4 miles northwest of Tomah. It then proceeded to move east-northeast crossing Interstate 94 north of Tomah. A house and mobile home were destoyed north of Tomah and another house was significantly damaged northeast of Tomah. The tornado then passed through mainly wooded rural areas before crossing into Juneau County southwest of Mather. Damage estimates for this tornado are just over $500,000. |
| August 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tomah | $500,000 | no account filed |
| August 2006 | Hail | Warrens | $500,000 | no account filed |
| August 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Warrens | $500,000 | no account filed |
| September 2018 | Flash Flood | Portland | $285,000 | Across the southeast portions of Monroe County, there were numerous reports of water over roads. The water was 1 to 2 feet deep in parts of Norwalk. In Cashton, an apartment complex was evacuated where the water was up to the first floor. Mudslides occurred north of Cashton on State Highway 27 and on County Highway N. Several roads were closed because of water over them or washed out culverts. |
| May 2011 | Hail | Norway Ridge | $250,000 | Hail estimated to be between 3.5 and 4 inches in diameter was produced by the tornado producing severe thunderstorm as it moved across northeast Monroe County. |
| June 2000 | Hail | Oakdale | $250,000 | no account filed |
| May 1988 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| June 1986 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| July 1971 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| April 1957 | Tornado (F3) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sparta | $200,000 | Emergency management reported several trees and power lines down in the city of Sparta. |
| June 2008 | Flood | Sparta | $200,000 | Ponding of water was reported just south of Sparta, about one mile south of Interstate 90. Across the county about 10 percent of the corn crop was damaged or destroyed. |
| June 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oakdale | $200,000 | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tomah | $190,000 | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cashton | $175,000 | no account filed |
| September 2016 | Flash Flood | Cashton | $170,000 | Street flooding occurred in Sparta. In addition, water was across several roads over the western portions of the county. Twenty five homes were damaged by the flood waters. |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cataract | $167,000 | no account filed |
| August 2020 | Flash Flood | Fort Mc Coy | $160,000 | Heavy rain from thunderstorms caused some flash flooding to occur across the eastern sections of Monroe County. Numerous roads were flooded in the Tomah area and near Tunnel City. A washed out road near Tunnel City resulted in an accident with a milk truck flipped on its side. South of Oakdale, a home was destroyed by a mudslide. |
| August 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Warrens | $150,000 | no account filed |
| June 2004 | Flash Flood | North Portion | $140,000 | no account filed |
| August 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Kirby | $100,000 | no account filed |
| June 2000 | Tornado (F1) | Cataract | $100,000 | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tomah | $100,000 | no account filed |
| May 2022 | Tornado (EF0) | Leon | $90,000 | A brief EF0 tornado touched down east of Leon and was only on the ground for about a quarter-mile before dissipating. The tornado tossed and destroyed a camper along with damaging an outbuilding, house, farm machinery and trees. Some of the downed trees were along the Elroy-Sparta state bike trail. |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fort Mc Coy | $88,000 | no account filed |
| July 2024 | Flash Flood | Kendall | $80,000 | Emergency management reported roads closed across parts of southern Monroe County due to flooding. Kendall was the most impacted by flooding at the time of this report. |
| December 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tomah | $75,000 | Numerous trees were uprooted or blown down in Tomah. Some of these fell on buildings and vehicles with one causing a gas line rupture. |
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tomah | $68,000 | A roof canopy was blown off the top of a grandstand at the Monroe County Fairgrounds in Tomah. There was also lots of tree damage in the surrounding area. |
| July 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Mc Coy Aaf Arpt | $60,000 | Numerous trees were knocked down near Haven Avenue and County Road A and AA just south of Highway 16. Trees were knocked down on power lines and cars. Roofs were also blown off of mobile homes in that area. |
| August 2006 | Hail | Tunnel City | $60,000 | no account filed |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cataract | $50,000 | A barn was shifted about 10 inches off its foundation, a large hay shed had the roof and three walls ripped off and farm trailers were moved or flipped by the strong winds at a dairy farm. Also, numerous trees were blown down along Amber Road. |
| June 2007 | Hail | Sparta | $50,000 | no account filed |
| August 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Kirby | $50,000 | no account filed |
| July 2000 | Tornado (F1) | Norwalk | $50,000 | no account filed |
| April 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cataract | $50,000 | no account filed |
| April 1994 | Tornado (F1) | Cataract | $50,000 | no account filed |
| April 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tomah | $50,000 | no account filed |
| August 2005 | Tornado (F1) | Tomah | $40,500 | no account filed |
| August 2021 | Tornado (EF1) | Norwalk | $40,000 | An EF1 tornado touched down north of Norwalk where it destroyed a barn. The tornado then traveled east for about six miles before dissipating. Other than the barn, damage was limited to trees and crops. |
| July 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wilton | $40,000 | A brand new shed was destroyed near Wilton. |
| August 2006 | Hail | Oakdale | $35,000 | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sparta | $35,000 | no account filed |
| June 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Norwalk | $35,000 | no account filed |
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wilton | $30,000 | Trees were blown down in Wilton. At least one tree landed on a car, others fell on houses and the roof of a shed was destroyed by a tree that fell on it. Shingles were also blown off a garage. |
| June 2020 | Lightning | Sparta | $30,000 | Lightning struck a garage just southwest of Sparta. The resulting fire destroyed the garage. The fire spread to a nearby house along a downed tree with the house suffering moderate fire and smoke damage. |
| August 2006 | Hail | Oakdale | $30,000 | no account filed |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Warrens | $25,000 | Public reported fallen trees near Warrens. |
Mines and quarries
23 recordedThe Survey's mineral resources record lists 23 workings inside this county. 16 still produce and 7 are closed or unrecorded. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.
| Commodity | Workings |
|---|---|
| Stone, Crushed/Broken | 23 |
The least common of them first, because a county's hundredth gravel pit says nothing its first ten did not.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arthur Overgaard Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Arthur Overgaard Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Arthur Overgaard Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Barons Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Berends Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Edward Kraemer & Sons Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Enders Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Erdman Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Gerke Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Jacobs Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Kahler Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Lietz Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Linton Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Ostrine Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Pingle Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Porpus Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Ridge Lime Co. Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Schmitz Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Schultz Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Sheldon Township Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Smiths Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Sullivan Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Wilson Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer |
The townships, in 1912
41,901 wordsHistory of Monroe County, Wisconsin, Past and Present : Including an Account of the Cities, Towns and Villages of the County [microform] devotes a chapter to each township: its boundaries and streams, who settled it and when, the mills, the schools and the churches. All 10 are reproduced here in full. Each row shows the township's own shape and where it lies in the county, drawn from the Census Bureau's boundary. Which settlements belong to which township is computed from that same boundary, not taken from the book.
| Shape and position in the county | Township | Settlements in it | Length | Sections |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angelo Town | Angelo, Farmers Valley | 658 words | 0 | |
| Cashton Village | Cashton | 2,722 words | 2 | |
| Clifton Town | Clifton | 4,791 words | 9 | |
| Lincoln Town | Kirby | 1,025 words | 0 | |
| Little Falls Town | Cataract, Four Corners | 1,217 words | 1 | |
| Scott Town | Norway Ridge | 91 words | 0 | |
| Sheldon Town | Oil City | 607 words | 0 | |
| Sparta City | Sparta | 18,875 words | 9 | |
| Tomah City | Tomah | 11,119 words | 4 | |
| Wyeville Village | Wyeville | 796 words | 0 |
The county's history books
330,127 wordsOne book written about this county, cut here where the book itself is cut, at its printed chapters: 41 chapters in all. Every chapter is public domain, machine-read from the scan and reproduced complete. A chapter already given under one of the county's towns is not repeated in this list.
History of Monroe County, Wisconsin, Past and Present : Including an Account of the Cities, Towns and Villages of the County [microform] (1912)
Every populated place in the county
30Named settlements recorded in the Geographic Names Information System, each with the topographic sheets covering it. Villages, hamlets and abandoned places alike. Each is shown with the nearest named watercourse or landform and the survey quadrangle it falls on.
-
Cataract
Little Falls town · 54656 · On Rathbone Creek · Cataract quadrangle
11 sheets, 1928 to 1985
-
Glendale
Glendale town · 54638 · On Spring Valley Creek · Kendall East quadrangle
13 sheets, 1919 to 1985
-
Kendall
Glendale town · 54638 · On Spring Valley Creek · Kendall East quadrangle
13 sheets, 1919 to 1985
-
Saint Marys
Jefferson town · 54648 · On Saint Marys Ridge · Saint Marys quadrangle
11 sheets, 1916 to 1985
-
Scotts Junction
Adrian town · 54656 · Near Thorp Hill · City Rock quadrangle
12 sheets, 1916 to 1985
No longer a settlement
-
Spring Bank Park
Greenfield town · 54660 · Near Pikes Peak · Tunnel City quadrangle
14 sheets, 1947 to 1985
-
Wyeville
Wyeville village · 54660 · On East Fork Lemonweir River · Wyeville quadrangle
11 sheets, 1953 to 1985
The vanished settlements of Monroe County: the places named above that are no longer on the map.
Provenance
- Topographic sheets. USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection, county index, measured from the bulk metadata.
- Fire insurance maps. Library of Congress Sanborn collection, faceted to this county.
- Photographs. Each place queried individually against the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs search.
- Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
- Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
- Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.