The Montfort post office opened in 1849, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Wingville (1836), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 64 in 18802020 census: 705177 years
Founding year: the first Montfort post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
What stands out about Montfort’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 Montfort. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1902Mineral Point sheet · 1:125,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Montfort.
Every building
Montfort, building by building, 1894–1914
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
1894Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Montfort was named from an old fort situated on a nearby hill. The site of the village was first platted and laid out on April 3, 1848, by Ben C. Eastman and Francis J. Dunn, who owned much of the land in this area of the town of Wingville. There were about 125 residents at the time of the plat. It was operated as an unincorporated settlement until it was formally incorporated as a village in 1893. The population remained quite small until the first railroad reached Montfort in 1879. It was struck by a tornado on July 28, 1885, but only one home was destroyed.
The Wisconsin Farmers Union Specialty Cheese Company in Montfort produces the award-winning Montforte Blue Cheese.
Passages that mention Montfort, cut from the printed page as they were published.
[History of Grant County, Wisconsin, preceded by a history of Wisconsin1881 · page 864Read the page →
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The Post Office. — The first attempt at supplying the inhabitants of Montfort and the surrounding country with mail facilities was during the year 1828, or thereabouts, when Daniel Durnell carried the mail from Mineral Point to Blue River, the post office at the latter point being Centerville. In time the same was changed to Montfort, where it was located under the care of D. S. Benner, it is believed, or Robert Langley. In 1854, S. D. Green succeeded to the trust, establishing the office in his store, where he continued to discharge the duties of the office until 1863. In that year, W. 0. Thomas was appointed and served two years, when Mr.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Grant County, Wisconsin1881 · page 864Read the page →
Read the text
The Post Office. — The first attempt at supplying the inhabitants of Montfort and the surrounding country with mail facilities was during the year 1828, or thereabouts, when Daniel Durnell carried the mail from Mineral Point to Blue R.iver, the post office at the latter point being Centerville. In time the same was changed to Montfort, where it was located under the care of D. S. Benner, it is believed, or Robert Langley. In 1854, S. D. Green succeeded to the trust, establishing the ofiice in his store, where he continued to discharge the duties of the ofiice until 1863. In that year, W. 0. Thomas was appointed and served two years, when Mr.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Grant County, Wisconsin1881 · page 863Read the page →
Read the text
Educational. — The village of Montfort, from small beginnings and limited opportunities for the availment of its youth, to-day is unsurpassed by any town of its population in the county, in the facilities afforded for the procurement of a substantial and practical education. And it might be said, in addition, that this desideratum is valued and appreciated by those upon whom its benefits are sought to be conferred.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
[History of Grant County, Wisconsin, preceded by a history of Wisconsin1881 · page 863Read the page →
Read the text
Educational. — The village of Montfort, from small beginnings and limited opportunities for the availment of itsyouth, to-day is unsurpassed by any town of its population in the county, in the facilities afforded for the procurement of a substantial and practical education. And it might be said, in addition, that this desideratum is valued and appreciated by those upon whom its benefits are sought to be conferred.
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
Montfort, 1836 to 1902
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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 (12), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) 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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