Mineral Point is a city in
Iowa County, Wisconsin
Iowa County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 23,709. Its county seat and largest city is Dodgeville. When created, it was part of the Michigan Territory. Iowa County is part of the Madiso ...
, United States. The population was 2,581 at the
2020 census. The city is located within the
Town of Mineral Point and is part of the
Madison metropolitan area.
Mineral Point was settled in 1827, becoming a
lead
Lead () is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol Pb (from Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a Heavy metal (elements), heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale, soft and Ductility, malleabl ...
and
zinc
Zinc is a chemical element; it has symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodic tabl ...
mining center, and commercial town in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It initially drew a considerable number of
Cornish-immigrant miners and their families. In the mid-20th century it attracted artists and an
artist's colony and its tourism industry began to grow. The city's well-preserved historical character within the varied natural topography of the
driftless area
The Driftless Area, also known as Bluff Country and the Paleozoic Plateau, is a topographic and cultural region in the Midwestern United States that comprises southwestern Wisconsin, southeastern Minnesota, northeastern Iowa, and the extreme ...
has made it a regional tourist destination. Mineral Point is sometimes called Wisconsin's third oldest city, but the
Wisconsin Historical Society
The Wisconsin Historical Society (officially the State Historical Society of Wisconsin) is simultaneously a state agency and a private membership organization whose purpose is to maintain, promote and spread knowledge relating to the history of ...
notes several older colonial settlements.
History
The first European settlement at Mineral Point began in 1827. One of the first settlers to the area was
Henry Dodge
Moses Henry Dodge (October 12, 1782 – June 19, 1867) was an American politician and military officer who was Democratic member to the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate, Territorial Governor of Wisconsin and a veteran of the Bla ...
and his family who settled a few miles away from Mineral Point. During the following year, large quantities of
galena
Galena, also called lead glance, is the natural mineral form of lead(II) sulfide (PbS). It is the most important ore of lead and an important source of silver.
Galena is one of the most abundant and widely distributed sulfide minerals. It crysta ...
, or
lead
Lead () is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol Pb (from Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a Heavy metal (elements), heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale, soft and Ductility, malleabl ...
ore, were discovered around the settlement in shallow deposits. Lead had many uses at the time, and settlers began to flock to the region hoping to make a living by extracting the easily accessible mineral. Lead deposits extended throughout an area that also included
Dubuque, Iowa
Dubuque (, ) is a city in Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. The population was 59,667 at the 2020 United States census. The city lies along the Mississippi River at the junction of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin, a region ...
and
Galena, Illinois
Galena is the largest city in Jo Daviess County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. It had a population of 3,308 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. A section of the city is listed on the National Register of Historic Plac ...
, but Mineral Point became the center of lead mining operations within the bounds of present-day Wisconsin (then part of
Michigan Territory
The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan. Detroit ...
). By 1829, the region's growing population led to the creation of
Iowa County, which included all of the lead mining lands within the territory. Mineral Point was established as the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
later that year. During the
Black Hawk War
The Black Hawk War was a conflict between the United States and Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans led by Black Hawk (Sauk leader), Black Hawk, a Sauk people, Sauk leader. The war erupted after Black Hawk and a group of ...
of 1832, residents of Mineral Point built
Fort Jackson to protect the town from a possible attack. The young settlement's importance was further confirmed in 1834 when it was selected as the site of one of two federal land offices responsible for distributing
public land
In all modern states, a portion of land is held by central or local governments. This is called public land, state land, or Crown land (Commonwealth realms). The system of tenure of public land, and the terminology used, varies between countries. ...
to settlers within the area that now encompasses Wisconsin.
When 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 ...
was created in 1836, Mineral Point hosted the
inauguration
In government and politics, inauguration is the process of swearing a person into office and thus making that person the incumbent. Such an inauguration commonly occurs through a formal ceremony or special event, which may also include an inau ...
of the first territorial governor,
Henry Dodge
Moses Henry Dodge (October 12, 1782 – June 19, 1867) was an American politician and military officer who was Democratic member to the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate, Territorial Governor of Wisconsin and a veteran of the Bla ...
, and the territorial secretary,
John S. Horner. During the ceremony, a design by Horner was officially recognized as the Great Seal of Wisconsin Territory. It displayed an arm holding a
pickaxe
A pickaxe, pick-axe, or pick is a generally T-shaped hand tool used for Leverage (mechanics), prying. Its head is typically metal, attached perpendicularly to a longer handle, traditionally made of wood, occasionally metal, and increasingly ...
over a pile of lead ore, demonstrating the importance of Mineral Point's early mining economy to the new territory. A census conducted in the months after the inauguration showed that Iowa County had 5,234 inhabitants, making it the most populous county in the Wisconsin Territory east of the Mississippi River.

Mineral Point remained an important lead mining center during the 1840s. Although the most easily accessible lead deposits on the surface were being exhausted by this time, new immigrants began to arrive with more refined techniques for extracting ore. The largest group came from
Cornwall
Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...
, which had been a mining center for centuries. Experienced
Cornish miners were attracted to the lead mining opportunities in Mineral Point, and by 1845 roughly half of the town's population had
Cornish ancestry. The original dwellings of some of these early
Cornish immigrants have been restored at the
Pendarvis Historic Site in Mineral Point. Lead continued to be produced in abundant quantities by the
Cornish miners, and in 1847, the ''Mineral Point Tribune'' reported that the town's furnaces were producing 43,800 pounds (19,900 kg) of lead each day.
Mining activity in Mineral Point began to decline in the following years. In 1848, the same year that Wisconsin achieved statehood,
gold
Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
was discovered in
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
. Many experienced miners left Mineral Point to look for gold, and in all, the town lost 700 people during the
California Gold Rush
The California gold rush (1848–1855) began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California from the rest of the U ...
. While the lead industry in Mineral Point continued into the 1860s, the town never recovered its former importance.
In November 1858, the residents of Iowa County voted to move the county seat to nearby
Dodgeville by a majority of 350. Mineral Point contested this election, accusing some residents of Dodgeville of corruption, and asserting that the law enabling the election was not sufficiently publicised.
The case was elevated to the
Wisconsin Supreme Court
The Wisconsin Supreme Court is the Supreme court, highest and final court of appeals in the state judicial system of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. In addition to hearing appeals of lower Wisconsin court decisions, the Wisconsin Supreme Court also ...
, and Judge
Byron Paine
Byron Paine (October 10, 1827January 13, 1871) was an American lawyer, judge, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was a justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court from 1867 until his death in 1871, and also served on the court from 1859 to 1864, interrupting ...
delivered the proceeding opinion in favour of Mineral Point on July 11, 1859, following which the residents of Mineral Point fired a cannon towards Dodgeville in celebration. An intense rivalry was harbored between the two towns, and a renewed election took place on April 2, 1861, during which a majority again voted to move the county seat to Dodgeville, where it remains today.
As lead mining declined in Mineral Point,
zinc
Zinc is a chemical element; it has symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodic tabl ...
mining and
smelting
Smelting is a process of applying heat and a chemical reducing agent to an ore to extract a desired base metal product. It is a form of extractive metallurgy that is used to obtain many metals such as iron-making, iron, copper extraction, copper ...
became important new industries. Zinc ore was discovered with increasing frequency near the bottoms of old lead mines. The Mineral Point Zinc Company was founded in 1882, and by 1891 it was operating the largest
zinc oxide
Zinc oxide is an inorganic compound with the Chemical formula, formula . It is a white powder which is insoluble in water. ZnO is used as an additive in numerous materials and products including cosmetics, Zinc metabolism, food supplements, rubbe ...
works in the United States at Mineral Point. Zinc mining and processing continued on a large scale until the 1920s.
In 1897,
Robert M. La Follette
Robert Marion La Follette Sr. (June 14, 1855June 18, 1925), nicknamed "Fighting Bob," was an American lawyer and politician. He represented Wisconsin in both chambers of Congress and served as the 20th governor of Wisconsin from 1901 to 1906. ...
gave his "The danger threatening representative government" speech in Mineral Point.
In the 1930s, resident Robert Neal, together with his partner Edgar Hellum, aimed to preserve some of the history of the Cornish miners' and settlers' stone structures. Over the next decades, they bought and restored buildings, and turned one into a popular Cornish restaurant attracting tourists. They had both studied art and worked to attract other artists to move to the area. These buildings are now the
Pendarvis Historic Site.
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 city has a total area of , all of it land.
Mineral Point lies within the
Driftless Area
The Driftless Area, also known as Bluff Country and the Paleozoic Plateau, is a topographic and cultural region in the Midwestern United States that comprises southwestern Wisconsin, southeastern Minnesota, northeastern Iowa, and the extreme ...
.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the
census of 2020,
the population was 2,581. 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 . There were 1,322 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.4%
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 ...
, 0.5%
Asian, 0.5%
Black
Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
or
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 ...
, 0.5% from
other races, and 3.1% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 1.8%
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.
2010 census
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 2010, there were 2,487 people, 1,147 households, and 648 families residing in the city. 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 . There were 1,278 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.9%
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 ...
, 0.6%
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 ...
, 0.1%
Native American, 0.8%
Asian, 0.1% from
other races, and 0.5% 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 0.7% of the population.
There were 1,147 households, of which 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.6% 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, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 43.5% were non-families. 37.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.83.
The median age in the city was 43.7 years. 21.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.5% were from 25 to 44; 30.3% were from 45 to 64; and 18.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.0% male and 52.0% female.
Arts and culture

Much of the city is a historical district on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
, including blocks of stone cottages and businesses crafted by the
Cornish settlers in the 1800s. A more recent building is the City Hall, built in 1914, which includes the library and the Opera House. The Opera House underwent a $2 million renovation in 2010.
Pendarvis is made up of several 19th century stone and timber cabins built by Cornish immigrants who came to Mineral Point to mine. Today the site is owned by the
Wisconsin Historical Society
The Wisconsin Historical Society (officially the State Historical Society of Wisconsin) is simultaneously a state agency and a private membership organization whose purpose is to maintain, promote and spread knowledge relating to the history of ...
and serves as a museum of Wisconsin's early lead mining history.
Shake Rag Alley contains seven historic structures near
Mineral Point Hill, an outdoor summer theatre and a community-owned arts center. Down the street is Brewery Pottery, an art gallery/studio/museum, located in one of the oldest standing breweries in Wisconsin. Brewery Pottery is open to the public daily, all year round. Other historic sites include
Fort Jackson, a frontier fort during the
Black Hawk War
The Black Hawk War was a conflict between the United States and Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans led by Black Hawk (Sauk leader), Black Hawk, a Sauk people, Sauk leader. The war erupted after Black Hawk and a group of ...
, and
Walker House, one of the oldest
inn
Inns are generally establishments or buildings where travelers can seek lodging, and usually, food and drink. Inns are typically located in the country or along a highway. Before the advent of motorized transportation, they also provided accomm ...
s in the state.
Mineral Point restaurants are known for serving
Cornish food, such as
pasties
Pasties (singular pasty or pastie) are patches that cover a person's nipples and areolae, typically self-adhesive or affixed with adhesive. They are usually worn in pairs. They originated as part of burlesque shows, allowing dancers to perform ...
and figgyhobbin.
The city is home to an endpoint of the
Cheese Country Trail
The Cheese Country Trail is a multi-use rail trail in south central Wisconsin.
The trail stretches from Monroe, Wisconsin, Monroe to Mineral Point, Wisconsin, Mineral Point, connecting Browntown, Wisconsin, Browntown, South Wayne, Wisconsin, S ...
.
Media
''The Democrat Tribune'' is a weekly community newspaper founded in 1849.
Transportation
Iowa County Airport (KMRJ) serves the city, county and surrounding communities.
Notable people
*
John Catlin, Acting governor of the Wisconsin Territory
*
March F. Chase, head of explosives division, War Industries Board
*
Samuel Crawford, Wisconsin Supreme Court
*
Amasa Cobb, U.S. representative
*
Montgomery Morrison Cothren, Wisconsin legislator and jurist
*
George G. Cox, Wisconsin legislator
*
Lee Croft,
NFL player
*
Bill Dyke, former U.S. vice presidential candidate
*
Jack Enzenroth,
MLB
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
player
*
Ansley Gray, Wisconsin state representative
*
Charles W. Hutchison, Wisconsin legislator
*
David William Hutchison,
U.S. Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its origins to 1 ...
major general
*
Mortimer M. Jackson, jurist and diplomat
*
William A. Jones, Wisconsin state representative
*
Francis Little, Wisconsin state senator
*
Allen Ludden
Allen Ellsworth Ludden (born Allen Packard Ellsworth; October 5, 1917 – June 9, 1981) was an American television personality, actor, singer, emcee, and game show host. He hosted various incarnations of the game show ''Password'' between 1 ...
, host of the
game show
A game show (or gameshow) is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment where contestants compete in a game for rewards. The shows are typically directed by a game show host, host, who explains the rules of the program as well as commentating a ...
''
Password
A password, sometimes called a passcode, is secret data, typically a string of characters, usually used to confirm a user's identity. Traditionally, passwords were expected to be memorized, but the large number of password-protected services t ...
''
*
James G. Monahan
James Gideon Monahan (January 12, 1855 – December 5, 1923) was an American lawyer and politician who served one as a U.S. Representative from Wisconsin from 1919 to 1921.
Born at Willow Springs, near Darlington, Wisconsin, Monahan attended ...
, U.S. representative
*
Abner Nichols, Wisconsin state representative
*
Ernie Ovitz, baseball player
*
Jabez Pierce
Jabez Pierce or Peirce (1806 – ?) was a carpentry, carpenter and mining, miner from Mineral Point, Wisconsin, Mineral Point, Wisconsin who served a single one-year term as a Democratic Party (United States), Democratic member of the Wisconsin St ...
, Wisconsin legislator
*
William Thomas Rawleigh,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
state representative
*
Theodore Rodolf
Theodore Rodolf (October 17, 1814February 12, 1892) was a Swiss Americans, Swiss American immigrant, Democratic Party (United States), Democratic politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was the 10th and 12th mayor of La Crosse, Wisconsin, and repre ...
, Wisconsin state representative
*
William Rudolph Smith,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
state representative and senator, Attorney General of
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 ...
*
Calvert Spensley, Wisconsin state representative
*
Moses M. Strong,
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 ...
State Assembly Speaker of the House
*
John B. Terry, merchant, soldier, pioneer, and Wisconsin territorial legislator
*
Cadwallader C. Washburn, U.S. representative, founder of
General Mills
General Mills, Inc. is an American multinational corporation, multinational manufacturer and marketer of branded ultra-processed consumer foods sold through retail stores. Founded on the banks of the Mississippi River at Saint Anthony Falls in ...
*
Alexander Wilson, Attorney General of Wisconsin
Sister city
*
Redruth
Redruth ( , ) is a town and civil parishes in Cornwall, civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. According to the 2011 census, the population of Redruth was 14,018 In the same year the population of the Camborne-Redruth urban area, ...
, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom
Notes
References
*
*
*
External links
City of Mineral Point official websiteMineral Point Chamber of Commerce* Sanborn fire insurance maps
188418891894190019081915
{{authority control
Cities in Wisconsin
Cities in Iowa County, Wisconsin
1827 establishments in Michigan Territory
Populated places established in 1827
Cornish-American culture in Wisconsin