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B−History
History · Rubicon

Rubicon’s post office opened in 1852, and 27% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 47% of U.S. towns. What drives it

Below: maps from 1894 on and old-book passages.

1852first post office
0on the National Register
27%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Awkwafaba · CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answers

How Rubicon began

When was Rubicon founded?

1852

The Rubicon post office opened in 1852, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 2,117174 years

How historic is Rubicon?

B−

More historic than 47% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Rubicon post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade

What drives Rubicon’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Rubicon is more historic than 47% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Rubicon’s overall grade.
Founding era1852, from the first post office: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 194027.0% of homes (±11.8) · typical WI town 12.1% · U.S. 8.4%A−National RegisterNo listings counted · typical WI town 3.0 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 47%
NewerOlder

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 Rubicon’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (28% of Wisconsin towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±11.8 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.

Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). 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 Rubicon’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 Rubicon are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19043 editions of the USGS map, 1904 to 1971. Watch Rubicon change.Mapped building by building3 fire insurance maps, 1894 to 1912, drew every building in Rubicon.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Rubicon’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Rubicon’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

Rubicon on the map, 1904 to 1971

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

Rubicon on the 1904 USGS mapRubicon on the 1959 USGS mapRubicon on the 1971 USGS map1904Hartford 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 Rubicon.

Every building

Rubicon, building by building, 1894–1912

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.

Rubicon fire insurance map, 1894, sheet 11894Sheet 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.

The story so far

Rubicon, in brief

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

Rubicon is a town in Dodge County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,117 at the 2020 census. The unincorporated communities of Rubicon and Saylesville are located in the town. The unincorporated community of Woodland is also located partially in the town.

Its first post office opened in 1852. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 2,207 to 2,117 (-4%).

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

From the old history books

What they wrote about Rubicon in 1880

Passages that mention Rubicon, cut from the printed page as they were published.

The village of Rubicon is situated on part of Sections 10, 11, 14 and 15, Town 10 north. Range 17 east, town of Rubicon. It was first platted in 1866, though previous to this and about the time of the completion of the present Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad, the formation of a village was b…
The history of Dodge county, Wisconsin, containing ... its early settlement, growth ... an extensive and minute sketch of its cities ... war record, biographical sketches1880 · page 568Read the page →
Read the text

The village of Rubicon is situated on part of Sections 10, 11, 14 and 15, Town 10 north. Range 17 east, town of Rubicon. It was first platted in 1866, though previous to this and about the time of the completion of the present Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad, the formation of a village was begun. The survey of the present plat was made by W. M. Morse.

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

Rubicon, 1852 to 1929

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1852Post officeThe Rubicon post office opens
  3. 1854Post officeThe Woodland post office opens
  4. 1862Born hereChester A. Fowler is born here
  5. 20th century
  6. 1904On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 1929Born hereArt Hauser is born here
By decade

Rubicon, decade by decade

Today7 recent
Temporary weight limit sign in2025Temporary weight limit sign inSaint Johns Cemetery2024Saint Johns CemeteryRubicon Town Park2024Rubicon Town ParkRubicon (2)2024Rubicon (2)Rubicon (1)2024Rubicon (1)ATC Power Lines - panoramio (2)2012ATC Power Lines - panoramio (2)WIMap-doton-Rubicon2004WIMap-doton-Rubicon
Famous people

2 famous people were born in Rubicon

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
A
Art HauserAmerican football player · b. 1929
C
Chester A. FowlerAmerican judge · b. 1862
Places that used to be

Old corners and burying grounds

Rubicon’s post office has been open since 1852.

Rubicon
1852–today
Woodland
1854–today
18501940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
SaylesvilleWoodland
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Rubicon
Hallowell FarmSaint Bartholomew

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Hartford8 historic placesAAshippun1 historic placeA−Hustisford1 historic placeAHartfordIts storyB−

Questions about Rubicon’s history

What year was Rubicon founded?

The Rubicon post office opened in 1852, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Rubicon rank for history?

Rubicon is more historic than 47% of U.S. towns. 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.

How old are the homes in Rubicon?

27% of Rubicon’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±11.8 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1976.

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
Start a conversation
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).

From Wikimedia Commons (7), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.