On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Koshkonong is more historic than 67% of U.S. towns, #138 of 362 in Wisconsin. All 2 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Koshkonong’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 Koshkonong’s 8.0 sits above most of its state (72% of Wisconsin towns have fewer) while its 3 historic buildings outnumber those of 65% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.1 points).
Founding year: our sources. 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 Koshkonong’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The Sauk, Meskwaki, Potawatomi, and Ho-Chunk peoples had members in the area when settlers arrived. The first Europeans to settle in the area were French traders from Canada. The region about the Yahara River was called Gishkzhegonang (Catfish Place) by the Potawatomi peoples, and was transcribed into English as "Koshkonong." The Potawatomis called Lake Koshkonong as Éndayang-zagegen (Lake Where-we-live-on), but the early settlers began calling this lake in the Koshkonong region as Lake Koshkonong.
The first settlers for farming arrived around 1836. Under the government of the Wisconsin Territory, the town was originally named Finch in 1839, but was renamed Koshkonong in 1842.
— Blix Among the many well known Norwegian settlements in the Middle West, Koshkonong is one of the oldest, one of the most beautiful, and one of the best known. Hjalmar Rued I Inland, who has written a history of the Norwegian settlements in this country, speaks of Koshkonong as “the most noted of all the Norwegian settlements in America.” it. B. Anderson, who wrote “The First Chapter of Norwegian Immigration,” says in his his¬
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The history of Jefferson county, Wisconsin, containing ... biographical sketches ..1879 · page 499Read the page →
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first contract for the grading of streets in Milwaukee, Milo Jones surveying the work and establishing the grade. I was," continues Mrs. S., " the first white child brought into Jefferson County, and Edward J. Foster, son of E. N. Foster, was the first one born in the town of Koshkonong. In 1837, Edward Mason and William Reynolds made claims between Koshkonong and Jefferson. R. C. Dodge and family, with Robert Barrie, settled here in June, 1837, and Charles Rockwell, with liis family, came about the 1st of July in the same year, as did, it is believed, Calvin West, Elijah Kinney and James and Gerard Crane.
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present Lien farm in the town of Christiana. The very lirst settler in the town of Christiana was Gnnnul Olson Vindeg from Nuimnedal, the father of the more distinguished Ole Gunnulson, the builder of the beautiful East Koshkonong Church erected in 1892. Someone might think that these first settlers in the town of Chris¬ tiana should have selected the choicest farms. If we consider how excellent the judgment of these pathfinders was in so many respects and do not overlook their many handicaps, we will hesi¬
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The history of Jefferson county, Wisconsin, containing ... biographical sketches ..1879 · page 320Read the page →
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We now reach Jefferson County in our ascent of Rock River, and are in Township 5 north, of Range 13 east, and, being upon Thiebault's Point on the east side of Lake Koshkonong, are also, of course, in tlie town of Koshkonong. On this point are traces of mounds ; but, a little further up the lake, on Sections 25 and 24, are a series of work sexteiiding about two miles along the highlands which border upon that portion of it. Some represent turtles ; they all have their heads turned toward the lake ; their tails are of diminished lengths. One mound, as seen in 1850. bore some resemblance to a tadpole. In tlie vicinity of Fort Atkinson are several groups of mounds. A half mile below the place, on the right bank of Rock River, are some
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Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Koshkonong, 1845 to 1891
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Koshkonong is more historic than 67% of U.S. towns, #138 of 362 in Wisconsin. 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 Koshkonong?
Two places: the Hoard's Dairyman Farm (listed 1978) and the Albert and Mary Shekey House (2015).
How old are the homes in Koshkonong?
12% of Koshkonong’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.1 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1979.
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 (10), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.
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