Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Below: maps from 1956 on and old-book passages.
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Winfield’s history is told.
From Wikipedia’s history of Winfield.
The town was named for General Winfield Scott, who gained fame in the Mexican-American War and was a candidate for president against Franklin Pierce.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Winfield, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The town of Lavalle is formed of Township 13 north, Range '■'• east, lying in the north tier of towns of Sauk County, and, were it not for the town of Woodland, which stands by itself on the west, would he the northwest corner town of the county. It is hounded on the north by Juneau County, on the east by the town of Winfield, on the south by Ironton, and on the west by Woodland. The surface of the town is uneven, hut well watered by the Baraboo River and its tributaries. Good wells are easily obtained : springs are abundant. Timber is plenty and of good quality, principally oak. of several varieties. Railroad ties, hardwood timber and staves are made in large quantities. Considerable pine was found here at an early day. hut it is now-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
population, twenty-nine years ago, 122 persons. The business portion of the village was located in what was then a black-alder swamp. In the eyes of strangers, this was regarded as a drawback to the growth of the village. The people coining from Baraboo and all the region east, as well as those coming from what is now the town of Winfield and the settlement in the town of Dellona, known as Sligo, were obliged, in order to get to the stores, the tavern and the sawmill, to travel along a ridge of hard land from near " Kelsey's Corner " to the rear part of what is now the Central House, and around to the north of the Mansion House into Main street, near Strong's store, now the saloon and eating-house of William Roper. Main street, from "Kelsey's
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
is formed of Township No. 13 north, Range 4 east, and contains thirty-six sections. It is situated on the north line of Sauk County, the third town west from the Wisconsin River. The territory comprising this town was first organized as a part of the town of Baraboo, and was organized as the town of Winfield in November, 1852. The first Chairman of the Town Board was Lzra Gregory: Clerk, Hiram Prltmi.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The territory now included in the town of Dellona originally belonged to the town of Baraboo, which also embraced the territory composing the towns of Lavalle and Winfield and the north half of Ironton, Reedsburg and Excelsior. In November, 1850, the north half of Township 12, Range 5, and the whole of Township 13, Range 5, was set off from the town of Baraboo and called Dellona. In January, 1857, the town of Excelsior was organized from the town of Freedom and that portion of the town of Dellona, lying south of the line between Townships 12 and 13, making the boundaries of the town of Dellona the same as at present.
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.
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Winfield. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Winfield.
Nobody well known was born in Winfield itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, the USGS Geographic Names Information System 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.
