BlockLa Grange, Wisconsin
32 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1892 and the latest in 1980. It stands in La Grange town. It lies in ZIP code area 53190. The Survey maps it on the Little Prairie quadrangle.
Topographic sheets covering this place
11 surveys from 32 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.
- 1892 USGS Whitewater quadrangle1:62500
- 1893 USGS Whitewater quadrangle1:62500, 7 printings
- 1903 USGS Whitewater quadrangle1:62500, 5 printings
- 1924 USGS Whitewater quadrangle1:62500, 4 printings
- 1954 USGS Rockford quadrangle1:250000
- 1955 USGS Rockford quadrangle1:250000
- 1958 USGS Rockford quadrangle1:250000, 4 printings
- 1960 USGS Little Prairie quadrangle1:24000, 3 printings
- 1960 USGS Whitewater quadrangle1:62500, 4 printings
- 1963 USGS Rockford quadrangle1:250000
- 1980 USGS Lake Geneva quadrangle1:100000
In the county-history sources
13,030 words on this townshipHistory of Walworth County, Wisconsin, Containing an Account of Its Settlement, Growth, Development and Resources...its War Record, Biographical Sketches, Portraits of Prominent Men and Early Settlers; the Whole Preceded by a History of Wisconsin...and an Abstract of Its Laws and Constitution.., published 1882 names this settlement in its chapter on La Grange Town. These are the passages that mention it, exactly as the scans read.
La Grange is one of the northern tier of towns, situated east of Whitewater and north of Sugar Creek. Speaking generally, the northern and soi^theastern portions of the town consist of rolling or hilly land, the central and southwestern of prairie land. The central sections of the town are quite flat, with slight elevations and sand-sinks. These latter are more frequent than in other parts of the county. An exception to the general hilly character of the north is the northwestern corner, in which is located a marsh containing some five sections. The direction of the hills and bluffs is from northeast to southwest. Heart Prairie, in the southwest, contains about six sections of land, and Kound Prairie, in the center of the town, one. The soil in these localities is not sandy and gravelly as in the north, but consists of clay loam and sand, mixed. To the east, its character changes to a heavy clay or sand. Originally, most of the town consisted of oak openings, \vith small gi-oves of black and white oak. The town is well watered. The Soiith Branch of the Scuf)ernong flows north through Sections 6 and 7 and a portion of 18, into Jefferson County. Pleasant Lake, in Section 24, Green, Middle and Mill Lakes, Sections 25, 26, 35 and 36, are situated in the southwestern corner. The latter three have Honey Creek as an outlet, which runs in an easterly direction. These bodies of water are smrounded generally by high bluffs and timbered land. Pickerel, pike, rock and black bass, perch, etc., find their natiu-al homes in them. They have been stocked also with Mackinaw trout. The depth of the water varies from ten to sixty feet. The town is given up almost entirely to farming, there be- no villages within its limits. Nearly eveiy variety of small grain is raised, the average yield being: Wheat, ten bushels per acre; oats, thirty; and corn, twenty-five. Very few of tJEte farms are devoted to dairying, the only butter and cheese factory in town, operated hy W. D. Stow, being biu'ned in 1879. The raising of swine is can-ied on quite extensively, B. Fowler, a resident of Heart Prairie, being particularly successful in bringing his breed of Poland-China pigs to a high state of perfection.
Passage source: History of Walworth County, Wisconsin, Containing an Account of Its Settlement, Growth, Development and Resources...its War Record, Biographical Sketches, Portraits of Prominent Men and Early Settlers; the Whole Preceded by a History of Wisconsin...and an Abstract of Its Laws and Constitution.., published 1882.
The first school in town was a private one, opened on Round Prairie in 1840, and taught by Melissa Cornish. Now, the town of La Grange consists of foiu- school districts and six joint districts, in which are 301 children of school age. Of this munber, the attendance is 211. The schools munber eight, and the teachers eight; wages of the male teachers, $32 per month, and female, $21.75. The schoolhouses are valued at $3,000; sites, $250; apparatus, $25; total valuation, $3,275.
Passage source: History of Walworth County, Wisconsin, Containing an Account of Its Settlement, Growth, Development and Resources...its War Record, Biographical Sketches, Portraits of Prominent Men and Early Settlers; the Whole Preceded by a History of Wisconsin...and an Abstract of Its Laws and Constitution.., published 1882.
La Grange is known as Town 4 north, Range 16 east, and was organized from Elkhorn, by act of the Territorial Legislatm-e, March 21. 1843. The first meeting of the board was held April 3 of that year. The naming of the town is said to have originated with Cyrus Huton.
Passage source: History of Walworth County, Wisconsin, Containing an Account of Its Settlement, Growth, Development and Resources...its War Record, Biographical Sketches, Portraits of Prominent Men and Early Settlers; the Whole Preceded by a History of Wisconsin...and an Abstract of Its Laws and Constitution.., published 1882.
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 La Grange Town - it names this place 47 more 47 times.
Fires near this place
23 since 2018Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 23 fires within 5 miles of La Grange between 2018 and 2020, burning about 37 acres in total. None started naturally. 7 were 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 | 8 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 7 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 2 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 1 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 June 2020 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | 20028 |
| 9 April 2019 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | 19012 |
| 6 April 2019 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | 19011 |
| 30 April 2018 | Debris and open burning | 5.0 acres | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | 18028 |
| 30 April 2018 | Arson/incendiarism | 4.4 acres | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | BLUFF ROAD 1 |
| 30 April 2018 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | BLUFF ROAD 2 |
| 30 April 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | 2018024 |
| 30 April 2018 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | YOUNG ROAD 4 |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
2 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 2 workings within 5 miles of La Grange: 1 past producer, 1 producer. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nelson Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Paddock Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer |
Storms near this place
21 since 1995Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names La Grange in 21 storm reports between 1995 and 2019: 14 thunderstorm wind, 3 hail, 2 lightning, 1 flash flood. 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 2017 | Flash Flood | La Grange | $10,000,000 | Various road closures over the eastern half of Walworth County due to the flash flooding of creeks or the pooling of water in low spots after 3.50-8.00 inches of rain. Walworth County declared an emergency. Road closures near Springfield, Abells Corners, south and east of East Troy. Also, widespread flooding and road closures in and around Elkhorn after 3.26 inches of rain in an hour. The water flowed into some businesses and the Huber Dorm. Some cars were stranded in deep water. Residents of the Bud Motors Trailer Park in the Town of Lyons evacuated due to flooding from the White River. Also in Lyons, the Ore Creek flooded and destroyed a portion of the foundation of a home. Ten additional homes were flooded and there were extensive roadway washouts in the area. |
| June 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | La Grange | $25,000 | no account filed |
| August 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | La Grange | $20,000 | A swath of tree and power line damage especially in Pell Lake. A roof was blown off a building in Lake Geneva. |
| September 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | La Grange | $7,000 | Several tree branches and trees down. |
| July 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | La Grange | $7,000 | Law enforcement officials reported trees and power lines downed by thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at 60 mph (52 knots) in in the town of La Grange. |
| September 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | La Grange | $4,000 | The Walworth County 911 Center received reports of trees blown down by damaging thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at 56 knots (65 mph) from La Grange to Delavan. |
| July 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | La Grange | $3,000 | no account filed |
| June 2006 | Lightning | La Grange | $2,000 | Lightning struck the roof a residence causing a 6-8 inch hole in the roof, and the collpase of the ceiling under the impact area. |
| July 2017 | Flood | La Grange | $1,000 | Various road closures over the eastern half of Walworth County continued due to flooding from 3.50-8.00 inches of rain. Road closures continued near Springfield, Abells Corners, south and east of East Troy. Also, road closures in and around Elkhorn and flooding continued in the Town of Lyons near the White River and Ore Creek. |
| June 2006 | Lightning | La Grange | $1,000 | Lightning struck a tree and traveled through the ground to a residence near STH 12/67 and Lauderdale Drive, and broke two windows and cracked some drywall. |
| August 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | La Grange | $1,000 | Several large trees were uprooted. |
| March 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | La Grange | $1,000 | no account filed |
| March 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | La Grange | $1,000 | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | La Grange | $1,000 | no account filed |
| September 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | La Grange | $200 | A tree fell onto a chicken house. |
| July 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | La Grange | - | The Walworth 911 Call Center received numerous reports of trees blown down by thunderstorm wind gusts estimated to be 65 mph (56 knots). A road was blocked by a fallen tree. |
| July 2009 | Hail | La Grange | - | The public reported that hail, estimated to be 3/4 inch in diameter and driven by gusty thunderstorm winds, damaged corn crops in northeast Walworth County. |
| October 2006 | Hail | La Grange | - | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | La Grange | - | no account filed |
| March 2002 | Hail | La Grange | - | no account filed |
| August 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | La Grange | - | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lauderdale Shores | 2.5 miles | 32 | |
| Heart Prairie | 3.2 miles | 32 | |
| Lauderdale | 3.4 miles | 32 | |
| Adams | 3.7 miles | 32 | |
| Little Prairie | 4.3 miles | 32 | |
| Millard | 4.6 miles | 19 | |
| Tibbets | 4.6 miles | 19 | |
| Abells Corners | 6.0 miles | 19 |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1567678. 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.