Koshkonong is a town in Jefferson County,

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

, United States. The population was 3,763 at the 2020 census. The town entirely surrounds the city of Fort Atkinson. The unincorporated communities of Koshkonong Mounds and Vinnie Ha Ha are located in the town. The unincorporated communities of Blackhawk Island and Koshkonong, as well as the

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

Lake Koshkonong Lake Koshkonong is a reservoir in southern Wisconsin, which was transformed from its original marshland by the construction of the Indianford Dam in 1932. The lake lies along the Rock River, with the river acting as both the primary inflow and t ...

are also located partially in the town.

History

The Sauk,

Meskwaki The Meskwaki (sometimes spelled Mesquaki), also known by the European exonyms Fox Indians or the Fox, are a Native American people. They have been closely linked to the Sauk people of the same language family. In the Meskwaki language, th ...

Potawatomi The Potawatomi (), also spelled Pottawatomi and Pottawatomie (among many variations), are a Native American tribe of the Great Plains, upper Mississippi River, and western Great Lakes region. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, ...

, and

Ho-Chunk The Ho-Chunk, also known as Hocąk, Hoocągra, or Winnebago are a Siouan languages, Siouan-speaking Native Americans in the United States, Native American people whose historic territory includes parts of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and Illinois ...

peoples had members in the area when settlers arrived. The first Europeans to settle in the area were French traders from

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. The region about the

Yahara River The Yahara River () is a tributary of the Rock River in southern Wisconsin. It is about longU.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed May 13, 2011 (including the distance across ...

was called ''Gishkzhegonang'' (Catfish Place) by the Potawatomi peoples, and was transcribed into English as "Koshkonong." The Potawatomis called Lake Koshkonong as ''Éndayang-zagegen'' (Lake Where-we-live-on), but the early settlers began calling this lake in the Koshkonong region as

. The first settlers for farming arrived around 1836. Under the government of the

Wisconsin Territory The Territory of Wisconsin was an organized and incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 3, 1836, until May 29, 1848, when an eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Wisconsin. Belm ...

, the town was originally named ''Finch'' in 1839, but was renamed ''Koshkonong'' in 1842. In 1840, Norwegian families from

Telemark Telemark () is a Counties of Norway, county and a current electoral district in Norway. Telemark borders the counties of Vestfold, Buskerud, Vestland, Rogaland and Agder. In 2020, Telemark merged with the county of Vestfold to form the county o ...

settled near Lake Muskego in Waukesha County. In 1841, what would become for a time the largest

Norwegian-American Norwegian Americans () are Americans with ancestral roots in Norway. Norwegian immigrants went to the United States primarily in the latter half of the 19th century and the first few decades of the 20th century. There are more than 4.5 milli ...

community in America was founded at Koshkonong in eastern Dane and western Jefferson counties. It was started by settlers from the Jefferson Prairie Settlement and the

Fox River Settlement The Fox River Settlement was the first permanent Norwegian American, Norwegian-American immigrant settlement in the Midwestern United States, Midwest.

. By 1850, over half of the Norwegian immigrants in Wisconsin lived in the Koshkonong Settlement, known as ''Kaskeland'' in Norwegian.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 2.75%, is water. The southeast shore of

forms part of the western border of the town.

U.S. Route 12 U.S. Route 12 or U.S. Highway 12 (US 12) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway, running from Aberdeen, Washington, to Detroit, Michigan, for almost . The highway has mostly been superseded by Interstate 90 (I-90 ...

crosses the town from southeast to northwest, passing through Fort Atkinson.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 3,395 people, 1,249 households, and 965 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was 80.7 people per square mile (31.2/km²). There were 1,421 housing units at an average density of 33.8 per square mile (13.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.91%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.03%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.29% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.53% from other races, and 1.06% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 1.77% of the population. There were 1,249 households, out of which 33.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.6% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 5.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.7% were non-families. 17.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.02. In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.3% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 29.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.8 males. The median income for a household in the town was $60,000, and the median income for a family was $61,604. Males had a median income of $40,676 versus $26,909 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $24,100. About 2.0% of families and 3.3% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 1.2% of those under age 18 and 4.4% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

Notable people that were born or lived in Koshkonong include: *

Rasmus B. Anderson Rasmus Bjørn Anderson (January 12, 1846 – March 2, 1936) was an American author, professor, editor, businessman and diplomat. He brought to popular attention the fact that Viking explorers were the first Europeans to arrive in the New World ...

(1846–1936), scholar * Charles N. Herreid (1857–1928), governor of South Dakota * Victor Lawson (1850–1925), newspaper publisher * Andrew E. Lee (1847–1934), governor of South Dakota *

Knute Nelson Knute Nelson (born Knud Evanger; February 2, 1843 – April 28, 1923) was a Norway, Norwegian-born United States, American attorney and politician active in Wisconsin and Minnesota. A Republican Party (United States), Republican, he served in sta ...

(1843–1923), politician * Sterling North (1906–1974), authorSterling North, Wisconsin storyteller
/ref> *

Knute Rockne Knute Kenneth Rockne (; March 4, 1888 – March 31, 1931) was an American football player and coach at the University of Notre Dame. Leading Notre Dame for 13 seasons, Rockne accumulated over 100 wins and three national championships. Rockne is ...

(1888–1931), football player

References

External links

*
Lake Koshkonong
{{authority control Towns in Jefferson County, Wisconsin Towns in Wisconsin