The Aztalan post office opened in 1839, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, Harvey (1877) and Jefferson Junction (1888), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
2020 census: 1,382187 years
How historic is Aztalan?
A
More historic than 87% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Aztalan post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade
What drives Aztalan’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Aztalan is more historic than 87% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Aztalan’s overall grade.
Wisconsin towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Wisconsin town has 3.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Aztalan’s 34.6 sits above most of its state (86% of Wisconsin towns have fewer) while its 4 historic buildings outnumber those of 68% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would still be A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.2 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Aztalan’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Aztalan. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1891Waterloo sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Aztalan.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds
Aztalan had its own post office from 1839 to 1904. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Aztalan
1839–1904
Harvey
1877–1904
Jefferson Junction
1888–1953
18301930today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Jefferson JunctionRock River Mobile Home Park
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Aztalan
AztalanSaint Marys Magdaline
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The story so far
Aztalan, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Aztalan yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Aztalan is a town in Jefferson County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,382 at the 2020 census. The unincorporated communities of Aztalan and Jefferson Junction are located in the town.
Its first post office opened in 1839. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 1,457 to 1,382 (-5%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Aztalan, 1879–1894
Passages that mention Aztalan, cut from the printed page as they were published.
A reminiscent history of the village and town of Lake Mills, Jefferson County1894Read the page →
Read the text
had arrived when there should be a separation, and to that effect a law was passed by the territorial legislature in words as follows: An act to divide the town of Aztalan and establish the town of Lake Mills. Be it enacted by the council and the house of representatives of the territory of Wisconsin.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The history of Jefferson county, Wisconsin, containing ... biographical sketches ..1879 · page 477Read the page →
Read the text
basis of a suit by the town of Aztalan. During this summer, a steamer made its way from St. Louis to Jefferson, via Rock River, and " tied up" for a few days at a point immediately north of the bridge at present crossing Crawfish River, on the west side, where it remained for a "few hours," an object of special interest, and then returned to the bosom of the Father of Waters.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The history of Jefferson county, Wisconsin, containing ... biographical sketches ..1879 · page 724Read the page →
Read the text
SILAS A. HATHAWAY, former. Sees. 16 and 21 ; P. 0. Aztalan; his father, Silas Hathaway, came to Wisconsin in the fall of 1839, and located in Aztalan Township, Jefferson Co. ; in 1849, he moved to Milford Township and bought eighty acres of land there ; he is now dead. Mr. Silas A. Hathaway was born March 25, 1810, in Norris Co., N. J.; in 1816, went to Monroe Co., N. Y., with his family, and worked there as carpenter; in 1830, went to Mount Clemens, McComb Co., Mich.; in 1856, returned to New York State; in 1871, came to Aztalan Township, Jefferson Co., Wis., and bought seventy-three acres of laud from his brother-in-law (on School Section 16) ; the latter came to Aztalan in 1836, and worked as a blacksmith and wagon-maker; he built the village of Aztalan almost entirely, and
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Aztalan, 1839 to 1964
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
The Aztalan post office opened in 1839, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Aztalan rank for history?
Aztalan is more historic than 87% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Aztalan?
Two places: the Aztalan (listed 1966) and the Pioneer Aztalan Site (1975).
How old are the homes in Aztalan?
20% of Aztalan’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.2 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1973.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (4), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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