BlockColumbus, Wisconsin
9 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1955 and the latest in 1991. It stands in Columbus City. It lies in ZIP code area 53925. It stands on Robbins Creek. The Survey maps it on the Columbus quadrangle. 5,540 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 869 feet above sea level.
On record in Columbus
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 12 of 21 shown
Farmers and Merchants Union BankNational Historic Landmark · listed 1972
E. Clarke and Julia Arnold Houselisted 2007
Albert M. and Alice Bellack Houselisted 2010
F. A. Chadbourn Houselisted 1990
Columbus City Halllisted 1979
Columbus Downtown Historic Districtlisted 1992
Columbus Fireman's Park Complexlisted 2004
Columbus Post Officelisted 2000
Columbus Public Librarylisted 1990
Dix Street-Warner Street Historic Districtlisted 2017
Fred and Lucia Farnham Houselisted 2009
George Griswold Houselisted 2009
Population over time
2 figuresColumbus grew from 4,991 to 5,540 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 4,991 | |
| 2020 | 5,540 | +549 (+11%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
5 surveys from 9 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1955 USGS Columbus quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1957 USGS Madison quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1960 USGS Madison quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1980 USGS Columbus quadrangle1:24000
- 1991 USGS Madison quadrangle1:100000
In the county-history sources
28,748 words on this townshipThe History of Columbia County, Wisconsin, Containing an Account of Its Settlement .., published 1880 names this settlement in its chapter on Columbus City. These are the passages that mention it, exactly as the scans read.
In 1863, Isaac Seymour, N. A. Cowdrey, Horace Galpen, David H. Hughes, William Gould, Frederick P. James and George Smith, all of New York, and Asahel Finch and William H. White, both of Milwaukee, associated themselves under articles of agreement, dated May 5, of that year, as the Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway Company. They had purchased, at mortgage sale, the Western Division of the La Crosse & Milwaukee Railroad, being that portion of the lines between Poi'tage and La Crosse, and in their articles of agreement stipulated that they might purchase the Milwaukee & Western Railroad, commonly called the Watertown road, running from Milwaukee to Columbus, with a branch to Sun Prairie ; the Milwaukee & Horicon road, running from Horicon to Berlin, and the Eastern Division of the La Crosse & Milw^^iikee road, when practicable ; and these purchases were subsequently perfected. Other persons afterward became associated with them, and the company operated, under orders of the United States Court, the Eastern Division of the La Crosse & Milwaukee road, accounting to the court for its use. The lines owned by the company, under the purchases made by them, were as follows : From Milwaukee to Columbus, via Watertown, 78 miles ; from Portage to La Crosse, 98 miles ; from Watertown to Sun Prairie, 26 miles ; from Horicon to Berlin, 49 miles ; from Ripon to Omro, 10 miles. In order to own a through line from Milwaukee to La Crosse, the company constructed 28 miles of track, from Columbus to Portage, which was completed in September, 1864, when the through line was open to travel. All through trains previous to that time had I'un over the Eastern Division of the La Crosse road. The cost of the lines of road and entire property purchased by the company, of which they entered into the possession June 13, 1863, was $8,144,138, for 261 miles of road, or $31,203 per mile.
Passage source: The History of Columbia County, Wisconsin, Containing an Account of Its Settlement .., published 1880.
Chicago tf- North western. - A stretch of about seven and a half miles of this road passes through Columbia County. In 1870, the Baraboo Air Line Railroad Company was incorporated with authority to build a railroad from Columbus, AVatertown, Madison, or any point intermediate, via the village of Lodi, Baraboo, Abelman's Mills and Reedsburg, to Tomah, La Crosse, or any point on the Mississippi River above La Crosse. In 1871, the Baraboo Air Line Company was consolidated with the Beloit and Madison Company, and both were then consolidated with the Northwestern Company, and the construction of the road northwest of Madison, or the Madison Extension, as it was called, was rapidly pushed forward toward AVinona Junction, a distance of 129 miles. Aid was voted to the Air Line road previous to the consolidation, and was paid to aid its construction as follows: City of Madison, $25,000 cash ; Lodi, $25,000 bonds and $15,000 cash;
Passage source: The History of Columbia County, Wisconsin, Containing an Account of Its Settlement .., published 1880.
When Milwaukee was but a straggling village, with most of her populous and busy streets and splendid architecture scarcely disturbed by the pale-face, and when East Water street, the great thoroughfare of Wisconsin, was yet a swamp, with the wild rice on its surface instead of Nicholson pavement, a certain New York capitalist named Nelson, we are told, sent the elder James Luddington to the Territory of Wisconsin, then the Far West, to secure land at low rates. He came to Milwaukee, and, as it is stated, meeting with Maj. Dickason, induced him to come to what is now Columbus, and assisted him with means to secure a large amount of land, Maj. Dickason may be regarded as the founder of Columbus.
Passage source: The History of Columbia County, Wisconsin, Containing an Account of Its Settlement .., published 1880.
Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.
Read the whole chapter on Columbus City - it names this place 9 more 9 times.
Fires near this place
59 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 59 fires within 5 miles of Columbus between 1992 and 2020, burning about 87 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 27 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 18 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 8 |
| Smoking | 2 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 2 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 2 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 September 2012 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | BERNDT TRASH PILE |
| 12 September 2005 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 17 August 1996 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 14 August 2015 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | LEINKE STRAW FIRE |
| 1 August 2012 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | HWY 151 |
| 9 July 2006 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 4 July 2001 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 13 July 2004 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
4 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 4 workings within 5 miles of Columbus: 2 unknowns, 1 producer, 1 past producer. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken, Sand and Gravel, Construction, Stone. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cass Quarry | Stone | Unknown | ||
| Derr Quarry | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown | ||
| County Trunk K Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Lucille Westphal Pit | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer |
Storms near this place
27 since 1996Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Columbus in 27 storm reports between 1996 and 2026: 19 thunderstorm wind, 3 hail, 2 flood, 2 funnel cloud. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbus | $1,000,000 | Widespread tree damage in the city of Columbus with many of the roads blocked by debris. A State of Emergency was declared in the city. Numerous large tree branches and trunks snapped. Some large trees uprooted. A few trees downed on homes. Some power poles knocked down or leaning. The Red Cross opened a shelter at Columbus Middle School for those without power in order to seek relief from the heat and humidity. |
| August 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbus | $100,000 | no account filed |
| April 2026 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbus | $30,000 | Two large trees blown down and a pine tree snapped at 80 feet high in a neighborhood. Additional trees and tree limbs down in the neighborhood and across Columbus. One tree felled on a home causing roof damage. |
| June 2024 | Flood | Columbus | $20,000 | The flooding of the Crawfish River resulted in portions of River Rd. and Campbell St. flooding near the highway 16/60 bridge. The high river stage was impacting the bottom portion of the bridge. Neighborhood yards flooded in the vicinity of the river. |
| May 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbus | $20,000 | Law enforcement officials reported trees two feet in diameter blown down by thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at 65 mph (56 knots) along a path from 2 miles south of Columbus to Fall River. |
| July 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbus | $20,000 | no account filed |
| June 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbus | $15,000 | Several large trees and branches down in Columbus. Power lines down and one wooden power pole down due to large branches and trees landing on them. |
| April 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbus | $13,000 | no account filed |
| June 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbus | $5,000 | Pine trees snapped and large tree limbs down. |
| May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbus | $3,000 | Several trees uprooted in Columbus. |
| June 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbus | $3,000 | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbus | $3,000 | no account filed |
| June 2020 | Flash Flood | Columbus | $2,000 | Flash flooding of streets with some road closures in Columbus. |
| June 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbus | $2,000 | no account filed |
| July 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbus | $1,000 | no account filed |
| June 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbus | $1,000 | no account filed |
| July 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbus | $400 | no account filed |
| July 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbus | - | Law enforcement personnel reported trees blown down by thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at 56 knots (65 mph). |
| June 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbus | - | Powerful thunderstorms winds knocked down large trees southwest of Columbus. A school mesonet site (Madison TV-15) 1 mile south-southwest of Columbus had a measured gust of 84.3 mph (73 knots). |
| November 2022 | Hail | Columbus | - | no account filed |
| March 2005 | Hail | Columbus | - | no account filed |
| July 2005 | Funnel Cloud | Columbus | - | no account filed |
| July 2004 | Funnel Cloud | Columbus | - | no account filed |
| July 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbus | - | no account filed |
| August 2003 | Hail | Columbus | - | no account filed |
| June 1999 | Flood | Columbus | - | no account filed |
| August 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbus | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall River | 3.6 miles | 9 | |
| Englewood | 7.0 miles | 9 | |
| Otsego | 9.1 miles | 9 | |
| Doylestown | 9.4 miles | 9 | |
| Keyeser | 13.1 miles | 12 | |
| Randolph | 13.9 miles | 10 | |
| Rio | 14.1 miles | 9 | |
| Leeds Center | 14.3 miles | 12 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Columbus | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q1570063 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1563282. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
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.