The Iowa County Historical Society was incorporated in 1976 to discover and preserve the history of Iowa County, Wisconsin, and maintains many historical archives at the Iowa County Historical Society Museum. Visitors are welcome! Our hours are Wednesday through Friday, 1 pm to 4 pm. Inclement weather affects our hours: If public schools close, we close. The Museum is located at 1301 N. Bequette St., Dodgeville, WI. View a map. Our Mailing address is P.O. Box 44, Dodgeville, WI 53533; Phone number (608) 935-7694; Email: ichistory@mhtc.net

 

Don’t miss Dodgeville’s Local History Day, Friday, July 19, in the Dodgeville Town Square

Join us for a full day of history, fun, and community. Connect with other history buffs, share stories and learn more about the area. A full day of events are planned, along with a concession stand, historical books for sale, and musical entertainment.

10 to 11 am: Meet members of the Iowa County Historical Society, Historic Preservation Commission and local historians. Sign up for “Tales of the Jail” tour at 11 am (20-person limit).

11 am: Tour the Floyd School with Karren Zimmerman: Experience what it would have been like to attend a one-room school with one teacher for eight grades.

Noon: Larry Brink, Chief Instructor of the Society of Military Swordsmanship will talk about Colonel Thomas Stephens who was a prominent Dodgeville citizen as well as an excellent swordsman. Brink and his Quartermaster, Robert J. Rank, will then give an exhibition of swordsmanship techniques used and taught by Stephens ending with a mini class on a few of the techniques. (First showing)

1 pm: Tour the Dodge Mining Camp Cabin

2 pm: Visit the exterior of Thomas Stephens home and listen to Brink talking about Stephens and then doing a swordsmanship exhibition with Rank. (Second showing)

4 pm: Final session with Larry Brink talking on Colonel Stephens and conducting a swordsmanship exhibition with Robert J. Rank.

6 to 9 pm: Live Music by Stiggy Pop

Concession Stand by Friends of the Dodgeville Library

 

image of a small building with columns and a portico on a sunny day, blue sky, green grass.


Iowa County Historical Society Museum. Photo by Neil Giffey

Iowa County Historical Society Services

 

Iowa County History Facts

The first white residents were of English, Irish, Scots, and French descent from Kentucky, Missouri, or adjacent states. The Panic of 1819 started miners moving up the Mississippi River. The end of the Winnebago war in 1827, was seen as an opportunity for miners to spread into Iowa County. Word quickly spread that lead deposits so abundant in this area that ore lay on top of the ground!

In 1827, Henry Dodge, his family, and about 40 miners set up camp in the vicinity. Within a short time, about 100 miners were working claims on the ridges of Dodgeville. By 1829, more than 4,000 miners worked in southwestern Wisconsin, producing 13 million pounds of lead a year. By the mid-1830s, news of the “lead rush” in the Upper Mississippi Valley had reached England; and a steady stream of skilled, hard-rock miners from Cornwall and Wales had begun.

Lead mining in the area went into decline during the 1850s. Many of the Cornish moved on to the copper mines of Upper Michigan, the silver mines of Colorado, and the gold mines of California. Mining was replaced by farming and mercantilism.