Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1973 on, and old-book passages.
The Dodge post office opened in 1874, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Pine Creek (1865), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
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 Dodge’s history is told.
From Wikipedia’s history of Dodge.
The town was named for William E. Dodge, a New York resident who co-founded the Phelps-Dodge Mining Corporation and YMCA of the US.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Dodge, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Kekoskee and May ville, in the town of Williamstown, and Theresa, in the town of Theresa,, have their dams and water-wheels and mills and factories. Hustisford, however, may be considered the most favored point on Rock River within the limits of Dodge County at the present time. In the town of Rubicon, saw and grist mills are supplied with power from the Rubicon River at several points, while Ashippun River, as it passes through the southeastern corner of the town of Ashippun, is utilized in the same manner. Rock River passes out of Dodge County in Section 36, town of Lebanon, but returns, as if loath to leave so beautiful a spot, and makes its force felt again (in the town of Emmet) before winding its weary way to the mother stream. The
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Kekoskee and May ville, in the town of Williamstown, and Theresa, in the town of Theresa, have their dams and water-wheels and mills and factories. Hustisford, however, may be considered the most favored point on Rock River within the limits of Dodge County at the present time. In the town of Rubicon, saw and gfist mills are supplied with power from the Rubicon River at several points, while Ashippun River, as it passes through the southeastern corner of the town of Ashippun, is utilized in the same manner. Rock River passes out of Dodge County in Section 36, town of Lebanon, but returns, as if loath to leave so beautiful a spot, and makes its force felt again (in the town of Emmet) before winding its weary way to the mother stream. Tlie
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The first post office established in Dodge County was at Fox Lake. It was known as Waushara Post Office until about 1850, when, upon application to the Post Office Department, the name was changed to Fox Lake. Its history dates back to 1839, when the only outlet was by way of the old United States road from Fort Howard to Fort Winnebago. The citizens were accommodated with mails once a week by an obliging horseman in the employ of the Government, who made the round trip between the two forts once in seven days. In 1844, a weekly post route was established between Fox Lake and Watertown, thus affording the citizens of the former place more ready communication with the Cream City on Lake Michigan, as well
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
crotches on high ground ; in the spring they were taken down and buried, apparently without much regard to locality or uniformity. .« THE POST OFFICE. > The first post office established in Dodge County was at Fox Lake. It was known as Waushara Post Office until about 1850, when, upon application to the Post Office Department, the name was changed to Fox Lake. Its history dates back to 1839, when the only outlet was by way of the old United States road from Fort Howard to Fort Winnebago. The citizens were accommodated with mails once a week by an obliging horseman in the employ of the Gov-
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.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Dodge. 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 Dodge.
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Dodge’s page.
Retake this view · +15Nobody well known was born in Dodge itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Dodge’s post office has been open since 1874. Another post office, Pine Creek, opened and closed inside today’s town.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
The Dodge post office opened in 1874, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
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 (1), the Library of Congress (3), Wikipedia, 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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