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History · Soldiers Grove

Soldiers Grove’s post office opened in 1869, and 22% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1924 on and the census since 1880.

1869first post office
0on the National Register
22%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Soldiers Grove began

When was Soldiers Grove founded?

1869

The Soldiers Grove post office opened in 1869, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Pine Grove (1865), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

First census: 196 in 18802020 census: 552157 years
Founding year: the first Soldiers Grove post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Soldiers Grove’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 Soldiers Grove are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 781 in 1950; 552 people lived here in 2020.On the map since 19243 editions of the USGS map, 1924 to 1983. Watch Soldiers Grove change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Soldiers Grove’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Soldiers Grove’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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People over time

Soldiers Grove, census by census

020040060080018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 781

Peaked at 781 in 1950; 552 people lived here in 2020.

14 censuses, 1880–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Soldiers Grove’s Wikipedia page.

On the map

Soldiers Grove on the map, 1924 to 1983

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

Soldiers Grove on the 1924 USGS mapSoldiers Grove on the 1966 USGS mapSoldiers Grove on the 1983 USGS map1924Gays Mills 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 Soldiers Grove.

The story

How Soldiers Grove came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Soldiers Grove.

Read it all →

Soldiers Grove was first settled in 1856 by Joseph H. Brightman, who began a sawmill at the site to process logs rafted down the Kickapoo River. The village which sprang up near the sawmill was initially named "Pine Grove" because of the abundance of Eastern White Pine in the vicinity. In 1867, the village's name was changed to "Soldiers Grove" to commemorate the troops who had camped in the area during the Black Hawk War.

ChaptersFlooding and RelocationSolar Village

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Soldiers Grove, 1865 to 1950

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1865Post officeThe Pine Grove post office opens
  3. 1866Post officeThe Pine Grove post office closes
  4. 1869Post officeThe Soldier's Grove post office opens
  5. 20th century
  6. 1924On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 1950CensusPopulation peaks at 781
By decade

Soldiers Grove, decade by decade

Today2 recent
Soldiers Grove, Wisconsin2024Soldiers Grove, WisconsinSoldiers Grove Lions Club Shelter2015Soldiers Grove Lions Club Shelter
Famous people

Famous people close to Soldiers Grove

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

See all →
Butch VigAmerican musician and record producer · b. 1955
C
Chris MulkeyAmerican actor · b. 1948
Mark C. LeeAmerican astronaut · b. 1952
James GillettAmerican politician · b. 1860
B
Bob WoodAmerican basketball player · b. 1921
Charles R. SavageAmerican politician · b. 1906
Places that used to be

Lost post offices and burying grounds

Another post office, Pine Grove, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Pine Grove
1865–1866
Soldier's Grove
1869–today
18601940today
1cemetery inside Soldiers Grove
Forest Hill

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

Questions about Soldiers Grove’s history

What year was Soldiers Grove founded?

The Soldiers Grove post office opened in 1869, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (2), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.