Most of Tomah was built recently: 8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1991. Below: 10 old photos and papers, maps from 1885 on, and the census since 1870.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Tomah’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Tomah is more historic than 26% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Tomah’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 Tomah’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 C. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.8 points). Two sources give 1855.
Founding year: Wikidata (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 Tomah’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
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.
Tomah was founded by Robert E. Gillett in 1855 and incorporated as a city in 1883, but the charter was not issued until 1894. It is named after Thomas Carron (ca. 1752–1818), a trader at Green Bay who had integrated into the Menominee tribe. The Menominees pronounced the name Tomah or Tomau and he became known as Chief Tomah. Tomah was adopted as the name for the settlement in Monroe County on the unsubstantiated belief that Chief Tomah had once held a tribal gathering in the area.
Passages that mention Tomah, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Monroe County Wisconsin1912 · page 88Read the page →
Read the text
The first strip of it between Tomah and Black River Falls was built in the summer of 1868, and train service was started regularly between Tomah and Black River Falls, which continued up until November, 1873, at which time trouble arose between the company and the town of Tomah from the fact that the company claimed that the town had not kept its contract with regard to the subscription of stock, and threatened to tear up the line from Warren’s Mills to Tomah and thus cut the village off from Jack-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Monroe County Wisconsin1912 · page 222Read the page →
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ette, Leon, Little Falls, New Lyme, Portland, Ridgeville, Sheldon, town.of Sparta, Wells and city of Sparta; the votes in favor of the petition came from Adrian, Clifton, Glendale, LaGrange, Lincoln, Greenfield, Oakdale, town of Tomah, Wellington, Wilton and the city of Tomah, so that the votes were lined up with regard to location principally, only that George A. Boyington, of the town of Byron, did not vote with the eastern side of the county.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Monroe County, Wisconsin, past and present1912 · page 88Read the page →
Read the text
The lirst strip of it between Tomah and P>lack River Falls was built in the suiiinier of 1868. and train service was started regularly l)etween Tomah and Black Hiver Falls, wliieli continued up until Novend)er, 1873, at Avhicli time ti-onble ai-ose between the company and the town of Tomah irom tin tact that the company claimed that the town had not kei)t its conti'act with regard to the sul)scription of stock, and threatened to tear up the line from "Warren's ]\Iills to Tomah and thus cut the village ott' from Jack-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Monroe County, Wisconsin, past and present1912 · page 222Read the page →
Read the text
ette, Leon, Little Falls, New Lyme, Portland, Ridgeville, Sheldon, town of Sparta, "Wells and city of Sparta; the votes in favor of the petition came from Adrian, Clifton. Glendale, LaGrange, Lincoln, Greenfield, Oakdale, town of Tomah, AVellington, AVilton and the city of Tomah, so that the votes were lined up Avith regard to location principally, only that George A. Boyington, of the town of Byron, did not vote with the eastern side of the county.
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
Tomah, 1855 to 1999
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
In 1855, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. the census of 1870 counted 837 people here.
How does Tomah rank for history?
Tomah is more historic than 26% 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 Tomah?
8% of Tomah’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.8 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1991.
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 (1), the Library of Congress (9), Wikidata (1), 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, 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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