Potosi is a village in

Grant County, Wisconsin Grant County is the most southwestern county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 51,938. Its county seat is Lancaster and its largest city is Platteville. The county is named after the Grant River, in t ...

, United States. The population was 646 at the 2020 census. The village is in the Town of Potosi.

History

Potosi is located where Wisconsin's lead ore belt intersects with the Mississippi. The post office (1837 to present) was originally located between Van Buren and Head of the Hollow, then at Van Buren, then at La Fayette. In 1839, the leaders of three settlements (Snake Hollow, sometimes called Head of the Hollow, Van Buren, and La Fayette) decided to combine the villages. The new, larger community was named Potosi, and the post office moved one last time, to the center of the new, merged community. There are several explanations for the origin of the name Potosi, but the correct one is unknown. Many mining towns are named Potosi, ultimately derived from the fabled

silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...

mines of

Potosí Potosí, known as Villa Imperial de Potosí in the colonial period, is the capital city and a municipality of the Potosí Department, Department of Potosí in Bolivia. It is one of the list of highest cities in the world, highest cities in the wo ...

, Bolivia. Another explanation is that Potosi was named for Potosi, Missouri, where a lot of the early lead miners originated. Another explanation is that Potosi is a corruption of "Potosa," the supposed name of the wife of

Julien Dubuque Julien Dubuque (January 1762 – 24 March 1810) was a Canadian of Norman origin from the area of Champlain, Quebec who arrived near what now is known as Dubuque, Iowa, which was named after him. He was one of the first European men to settle in ...

, an early settler in the area. No evidence exists for this theory.

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 village has a total area of , of which, of it is land and is water.

Demographics

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 688 people, 295 households, and 203 families living in the village. 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 322 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 98.7%

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 ...

, 0.1% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 0.3% 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 0.6% of the population. There were 295 households, of which 26.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.3% 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, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 31.2% were non-families. 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.79. The median age in the village was 45.3 years. 21.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 19.6% were from 25 to 44; 30.9% were from 45 to 64; and 19.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 48.5% male and 51.5% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 711 people, 302 households, and 199 families living in the village. The

was 432.1 people per square mile (166.4/km²). There were 320 housing units at an average density of 194.5 per square mile (74.9/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 99.02%

, and 0.98% from two or more races. 0.98% of the population were

or Latino of any race. There were 302 households, out of which 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.0% were

living together, 6.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.1% were non-families. 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.96. In the village, the population was spread out, with 24.1% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.1 males. The median income for a household in the village was $35,294, and the median income for a family was $47,955. Males had a median income of $28,478 versus $25,982 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 village was $17,189. About 4.9% of families and 7.3% 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 6.1% of those under age 18 and 11.5% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

Potosi is the home of the Potosi Brewing Company. The Potosi Brewery in the village operated from 1852 to 1972, and reopened in 2008 following a restoration project which converted the facility into a museum and brew pub. In 2015, the business opened a new production facility in Potosi. Known as the "Catfish Capital of Wisconsin," the village holds an annual Catfish Festival and Fireman's Fish Fry, typically on the second weekend of August. The event includes a truck and tractor pull, beanbag and a euchre tournament, fireworks, live music, a parade, and the fish fry. The National Brewery Museum and Library opened in the village on the site of the Potosi Brewery in 2008. The museum features historic beer and brewing memorabilia, including signs, advertisements, bottles, cans, and miscellaneous paraphernalia. Local road signs herald Potosi's Main Street as "the longest Main Street in the world." A newspaper article traces the claim to a 1950s item in ''

Ripley's Believe It Or Not! ''Ripley's Believe It or Not!'' is an American franchise founded by Robert Ripley, which deals with bizarre events and items so strange and unusual that readers might question the claims. Originally a newspaper panel, the ''Believe It or Not'' ...

'' which made the more qualified statement that it is the longest Main Street ''without a cross street.'' Current maps show a three-mile stretch, with numerous streets—including one named "Cross Street"—that drain into it and end, forming T-shaped intersections, but no street that continues across it. The stretch is divided into two portions each with a distinct street name: North Main Street and South Main Street. The Potosi Badger Huts Site, remnants of the region's lead mining history, are listed 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 ...

and accessible by trail.

Notable people

* Frank J. Bell, aviator and dentist * William Biddlecome, lawyer * Joshua B. Bradbury, farmer, teacher, and legislator * Lafayette Caskey, carpenter and legislator * Edward John Dorn, United States Naval Governor of Guam * John Lewis Dyer,

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

circuit rider, who carried gospel to

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

in 1860s and 1870s; mined

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 ...

near Potosi in 1840s * Melvin Grigsby, Union Army and

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

veteran who served as South Dakota Attorney General * William Hull - lawyer and legislator'Collections of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin,' volume 9, Lyman Copeland Draper, Wisconsin historical Society: 1909, Wisconsin Necrology-1881, pg. 461-462 * Keith Krepfle, football player * William Josiah MacDonald, U.S. Representative from

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

* James Wilson Seaton, lawyer and legislator * Fred A. Thomas,

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

State Representative

References

External links

Potosi - Tennyson Chamber of Commerce
* Sanborn fire insurance maps
188419001912National Brewery Museum
Video produced by

PBS Wisconsin PBS Wisconsin (formerly Wisconsin Public Television or WPT) is a network of non-commercial educational television stations operated primarily by the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board and the University of Wisconsin–Madison. It compri ...

{{authority control Villages in Grant County, Wisconsin Villages in Wisconsin