Poynette, Wisconsin
13 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1901 and the latest in 1991. It stands in Poynette Village. It lies in ZIP code area 53955. The Survey maps it on the Poynette quadrangle. 2,590 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 840 feet above sea level.
Population over time
2 figuresPoynette grew from 2,528 to 2,590 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 | 2,528 | |
| 2020 | 2,590 | +62 (+2%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
6 surveys from 13 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.
- 1901 USGS Poynette quadrangle1:62500, 3 printings
- 1957 USGS Madison quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1960 USGS Madison quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1962 USGS Poynette quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1984 USGS Poynette quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1991 USGS Madison quadrangle1:100000
In the county-history sources
21,887 words on this townshipThe History of Columbia County, Wisconsin, Containing an Account of Its Settlement .., published 1880 names this settlement in its chapter on Poynette Village. These are the passages that mention it, exactly as the scans read.
Schools. - The first settlement in the village of Lodi was made in the spring of 1846, and in the summer a log house was erected on Section 27, and school taught therein by Miss Mary Yockey. This house served until 1851, when a frame building was erected on the same section, the district being No. 1. John Foote taught the first winter term in 1848-49. The school districts of the town remained as organized by the Town Superintendent of Schools until 18l34. On the 17th day of September of that year, the Supervisors of the town, by order, attached the territory of Districts Nos. 2 and 6 to District No. 1. On the 8th day of October, 1864, by order of the Board, District No. 7 was also attached. On the 5th day of November, 1877, the portion of Joint District No. 3, lying within the town of Lodi, was attached, making tlie Union District composed of Nos. 1, 2, 6, 7, and a part of No. 3. The first school meeting of the consolidated districts was held September 26, 1864. At this meeting, H. M. Ayer was elected Director for three years; John B. Dwinnell, Treasurer, for two years; W. M. Bartholomew, Clerk, for one year. A special school meeting was held October 8, 1864, when the District Board was authorized to move one or more of the schoolhouses in the district as will best subserve the interest of the whole district. The object of uniting these school districts was to form a union school of high grade. Previous to this time. Prof. A. G. Riley had been teaching a select high school in the village, and had awakened considerable interest in a higher education than was then being taught by the common schools of the town. At the same time the State Superintendent of Public Schools, in his annual report, had placed the village in rather an unenviable light in comparison with Kilbourn City, Pardeeville, Wyocena, Cambria, Fall River, and Poynette, which aroused the pride of the citizens of Lodi, and steps were at once taken to remedy the matter. On the suggestion of the Superintendent the consolidation was effected. Prof Riley expressed himself ready to abandon his school if the change was made. He was chosen the first Principal of the Union School, which was opened Mondav, November 14, 1864.
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.
Fires near this place
146 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 146 fires within 5 miles of Poynette between 1992 and 2020, burning about 132 acres in total. 3 started naturally. 6 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 |
|---|---|
| Equipment and vehicle use | 43 |
| Debris and open burning | 43 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 26 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 8 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 6 |
| Other causes | 4 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 4 |
| Natural | 3 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 3 |
| Fireworks | 3 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 2 |
| Smoking | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 August 2014 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | BABYDOLL FIRE |
| 21 August 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 20 August 2004 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 2 August 2009 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | TROUT FARM |
| 19 August 2003 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 17 August 1992 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 16 August 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 1 August 2009 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | WHEAT STALK |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
3 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 3 workings within 5 miles of Poynette: 2 producers, 1 past producer. 2 still produce. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kelton Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Poynette Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Stevenson Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
25 since 1994Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Poynette in 25 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 12 hail, 10 thunderstorm wind, 1 flood, 1 lightning. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2001 | Lightning | Poynette | $15,000 | no account filed |
| July 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Poynette | $5,000 | no account filed |
| July 1999 | Flood | Poynette | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Poynette | $4,000 | no account filed |
| July 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Poynette | $3,000 | no account filed |
| June 2018 | Tornado (EF0) | Poynette | $2,000 | Videos and pictures of the tornado were provided on social media. Minor tree damage likely occurred. |
| August 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Poynette | $2,000 | Several trees and branches down. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Poynette | $1,000 | Measured wind gust of 69 mph near Poynette. |
| July 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Poynette | $1,000 | Large tree down on Kent Road. |
| June 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Poynette | - | Scattered branches and trees down in the Poynette area. |
| July 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Poynette | - | Trees down. |
| July 2023 | Hail | Poynette | - | no account filed |
| April 2023 | Hail | Poynette | - | no account filed |
| May 2017 | Hail | Poynette | - | no account filed |
| July 2015 | Hail | Poynette | - | no account filed |
| July 2015 | Hail | Poynette | - | no account filed |
| June 2010 | Hail | Poynette | - | no account filed |
| June 2006 | Hail | Poynette | - | no account filed |
| October 2006 | Hail | Poynette | - | no account filed |
| October 2006 | Hail | Poynette | - | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Poynette | - | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Hail | Poynette | - | no account filed |
| April 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Poynette | - | no account filed |
| September 2000 | Hail | Poynette | - | no account filed |
| April 1994 | Hail | Poynette | - | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arlington | 3.8 miles | 12 | |
| Lowville | 4.1 miles | 12 | |
| North Leeds | 5.8 miles | 12 | |
| Dekorra | 5.8 miles | 13 | |
| Leeds | 6.9 miles | 12 | |
| Leeds Center | 7.4 miles | 12 | |
| Harmony Grove | 8.0 miles | 22 | |
| Lodi | 8.4 miles | 22 |
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 Poynette | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q2103341 | 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 1571865. 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.





