Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Below: maps from 1907 on and the census since 1880.
Dane dates its founding to 1899 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1880.
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Dane’s history is told.
From Wikipedia’s history of Dane.
A post office called Dane was first established in 1844. The village was named for Nathan Dane, author of the Northwest Ordinance. The village was incorporated in April 1899. The community's St. Michael Catholic Church was struck by lightning and burned down in 1974, but has since been rebuilt.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Dane, cut from the printed page as they were published.
325 feet; station 277, deep cut, surface, 355 feet; station 815, surface. Catfish Marsh, 255 feet ; station 315, grade, 277 feet ; station 400, 285 feet ; station 458, grade, 323 feet ; station 458, surface, 310 feqt ; station 520, Waunakee, 341 fpet ; station 570, 341 feet ; station 667, surface, 369 feet ; station 667, grade, 395 feet ; station 787, Dane depot, 477 feet ; station 900, 365 feet ; station 1002, surface of creek, 233 feet ; station 1002, grade, 267 feet. Chicago, Milwaukee ^ St. Paul Railway. — West line Section 12, Township 8, Range 12 east (Medina), 272 feet; west line Section 11, Township 8, Range 12 east (Medina), 280 feet; Marshall depot, 286 feet; west line Section 10, Township 8, Range 12 east (Medina), 286 feet;
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
• BY HON, A. A. BOYCE, The town of Vienna is situated on the north line of Dane county, and is midway between the east and west lines of the county. The town is bounded on the north by the town of Arlington, in Columbia county, on the east by Windsor, on the south by Westport, and on the west by the town of Dane. It occupies the township of
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Location. — The town joins the town of Dane, in Dane county, on the north, and is situated in the southwest part of Columbia county. It is formed of township No. 10 north, of range 8 east, according to government survey, except sections 6, 7, 18, 19, 30 and 31, which form the west tier of sections of said to¥niship, and belong to the town of West Point. The territory of which the town is formed was at first a part of Brown county,
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.
2013Farm with Four Silos - panoramio (6)
2013Driftless Area - panoramio (15)
2013Dane Village Garage
2013Dane Town Hall
2013Dane Fire Department ^ Village Hall
2013Dairy Farm near Dane - panoramio (1)
2013Dairy Farm - panoramio (3)
2013Country Estate - panoramio (5)
2012Springfield Town Hall
2012Sealstor Silo
2012Farm near
2012Fall on Springfield Hill
2012Dairy Farm near
2009St. Michael's Catholic Church
2009DaneWisconsinVillageHallWIS113
2009DaneWisconsinSignWIS113
2009DaneWisconsinPostOffice
2009DaneWisconsin1WIS113Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Dane. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Dane.
Grew from 125 people in 1880 to 1,117 in 2020, 8 times over.
14 censuses, 1880–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Dane’s Wikipedia page.
Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
In 1899, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. the census of 1880 counted 125 people here.
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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). How TownRatings grades history →
From Wikimedia Commons (18), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), 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.
