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History · Lake Wisconsin

Half of Lake Wisconsin’s homes were built after 1991

Most of Lake Wisconsin was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1991. Below: maps from 1895 on.

0on the National Register
3%homes built before 1940
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What stands out about Lake Wisconsin’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Lake Wisconsin are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18954 editions of the USGS map, 1895 to 1974. Watch Lake Wisconsin change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Lake Wisconsin’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Lake Wisconsin’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Lake Wisconsin on the map, 1895 to 1974

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Lake Wisconsin. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Lake Wisconsin on the 1895 USGS mapLake Wisconsin on the 1908 USGS mapLake Wisconsin on the 1959 USGS mapLake Wisconsin on the 1974 USGS map1895Baraboo 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 Lake Wisconsin.

The story so far

Lake Wisconsin, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Lake Wisconsin yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Lake Wisconsin is a census-designated place (CDP) in Columbia and Sauk counties, in the towns of Lodi and Merrimac, in Wisconsin, United States. The population was 4,616 at the 2020 census, up from 4,189 at the 2010 census. The Columbia County portion of the Lake Wisconsin is part of the Madison, Wisconsin metropolitan area, while the Sauk County portion is part of the Baraboo Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 4,189 to 4,616 (+10%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

Lake Wisconsin, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Marshland next to2016Marshland next toLake Wisconsin - panoramio (6)2016Lake Wisconsin - panoramio (6)Homes and Cabins on Lake Wiscosnin2014Homes and Cabins on Lake WiscosninDriftless Area and2014Driftless Area andLake Wisconsin - panoramio (1)2013Lake Wisconsin - panoramio (1)WIMap-doton-Lake Wisconsin2004WIMap-doton-Lake Wisconsin
Famous people

Famous people close to Lake Wisconsin

Nobody well known was born in Lake Wisconsin itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Skylar GreyAmerican singer · b. 1986
Frederick Jackson TurnerAmerican historian · b. 1861
Tom WopatAmerican actor · b. 1951
August DerlethAmerican novelist, short story writer, poet, ed… · b. 1909
Zona GaleAmerican author and playwright · b. 1874
A
Alexander WetmoreAmerican ornithologist and avian paleontologist · b. 1886
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

MerrimacIts storyCMerrimac1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWest PointIts storyC−Prairie du SacIts storyCPrairie du Sac1 historic placeA−

Questions about Lake Wisconsin’s history

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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Sources

Where this page comes from

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 (6) and U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.