Grant County, Wisconsin

County in Wisconsin, United States

U.S. county in Wisconsin

Grant County

U.S. county

Grant County Courthouse, Armand D. Koch, architect, 1902

Location within the U.S. state of Wisconsin

Wisconsin's location within the U.S.

Country|  United States
State|  Wisconsin
Founded| 1837
Seat| Lancaster
Largest city| Platteville
Area

• Total| 1,183 sq mi (3,060 km2)
• Land| 1,147 sq mi (2,970 km2)
• Water| 36 sq mi (90 km2)  3.1%
Population

(2020)[1]

• Total| 51,938
• Density| 45.3/sq mi (17.5/km2)
Time zone| UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)| UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district| 3rd
Website| www.co.grant.wi.gov

Grant County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 51,938.[2] Its county seat is Lancaster.[3] The county is named after the Grant River, in turn named after a fur trader who lived in the area when Wisconsin was a territory.[4] Grant County comprises the Platteville, WI Micropolitan Statistical Area. It is in the tri-state area of Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin, and is crossed by travelers commuting to Madison from a number of eastern Iowan cities, and by residents of northern Illinois traveling to the Twin Cities or La Crosse, Wisconsin.

## Contents

* 1 History
* 1.1 Indian presence
* 1.2 Colonial period
* 1.3 American period
* 2 Geography
* 2.1 Major highways
* 2.2 Railroads
* 2.3 Buses
* 2.4 Airports
* 2.5 Adjacent counties
* 3 Demographics
* 3.1 2020 census
* 3.2 2000 census
* 4 Government and infrastructure
* 5 Politics
* 6 Communities
* 6.1 Cities
* 6.2 Villages
* 6.3 Towns
* 6.4 Census-designated places
* 6.5 Unincorporated communities
* 6.6 Ghost town/neighborhood
* 7 Notable people
* 8 See also
* 9 Footnotes
* 10 Further reading
* 11 External links

## History

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### Indian presence

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What is now Grant County was largely uninhabited prior to contact with Europeans, as it was a border region between the territories of the Kickapoo, Menominee, and Illinois tribes. The only Native Americans to have a permanent settlement in the area were the Fox tribe, who had a temporary village in what is now the extreme northeast of the county during the mid-1700s.

### Colonial period

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Between 1520 and 1620 this area was nominally ruled by Spain, although the lack of explorers left the region completely untouched by Spanish authority. The first Frenchmen to reach what is now Grant County were Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet, who explored the region in the spring of 1673, after setting out from what would later become Green Bay. No permanent settlement was made. In 1680 Louis Hennepin also passed through the region that would later become Grant County, also making no permanent settlement. In 1689 Nicholas Perrot passed through the territory and claimed it for the King of France. The first settlement was a temporary trading post that Pierre Marin founded in 1725.

The British technically ruled the region during the period between the French and Indian War and the American Revolution, though no effort was made to settle or administer the region. After the abandonment of Marin's trading post, the region went unvisited until the expedition of Jonathan Carver, a Connecticut Yankee who passed through what is now Grant County in 1766 during an attempt to discover the Pacific Ocean.

### American period

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In 1783, the British government acknowledged the jurisdiction of the United States over the land east of the Mississippi River, including what is now Grant County. American and European traders visiting the region over the next decades were yet as nomadic as the Indians, and no records survive. Grant County was created as part of Wisconsin Territory in 1837.[5] It was named after an Indian trader; his first name, origins, and eventual fate are all unknown.[6]

## Geography

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According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,183 square miles (3,060 km2), of which 1,147 square miles (2,970 km2) is land and 36 square miles (93 km2) (3.1%) is water.[7]

### Major highways

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* U.S. Highway 18
* U.S. Highway 61
* U.S. Highway 151
* Highway 11 (Wisconsin)
* Highway 35 (Wisconsin)
* Highway 80 (Wisconsin)
* Highway 81 (Wisconsin)
* Highway 133 (Wisconsin)

### Railroads

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* BNSF
* Wisconsin and Southern Railroad

### Buses

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* Platteville Public Transportation
* List of intercity bus stops in Wisconsin

### Airports

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* KOVS - Boscobel Municipal Airport
* KPVB - Platteville Municipal Airport serves the county and surrounding communities.
* 73C - Lancaster Municipal Airport enhances county service.
* C74 - Cassville Municipal Airport

### Adjacent counties

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* Crawford County, Wisconsin \- north
* Richland County, Wisconsin \- northeast
* Iowa County, Wisconsin \- east
* Lafayette County, Wisconsin \- east
* Jo Daviess County, Illinois \- southeast
* Dubuque County, Iowa \- south
* Clayton County, Iowa \- west

## Demographics

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Historical population

Census | Pop. |  | %±
1840| 3,926| | —
1850| 16,169| | 311.8%
1860| 31,189| | 92.9%
1870| 37,979| | 21.8%
1880| 37,852| | −0.3%
1890| 36,651| | −3.2%
1900| 38,881| | 6.1%
1910| 39,007| | 0.3%
1920| 39,044| | 0.1%
1930| 38,469| | −1.5%
1940| 40,639| | 5.6%
1950| 41,460| | 2.0%
1960| 44,419| | 7.1%
1970| 48,398| | 9.0%
1980| 51,736| | 6.9%
1990| 49,264| | −4.8%
2000| 49,597| | 0.7%
2010| 51,208| | 3.2%
2020| 51,938| | 1.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]
1790–1960[9] 1900–1990[10]
1990–2000[11] 2010–2020[2]

### 2020 census

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As of the census of 2020,[1] the population was 51,938. The population density was 45.3 inhabitants per square mile (17.5/km2). There were 22,110 housing units at an average density of 19.3 per square mile (7.5/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 93.8% White, 1.3% Black or African American, 0.8% Asian, 0.2% Native American, 1.0% from other races, and 2.8% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 2.4% Hispanic or Latino of any race.

2000 Census Age Pyramid for Grant County.

### 2000 census

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As of the census[12] of 2000, there were 49,597 people, 18,465 households, and 12,390 families residing in the county. The population density was 43 people per square mile (17/km2). There were 19,940 housing units at an average density of 17 per square mile (7/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 98.23% White, 0.52% Black or African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.46% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.14% from other races, and 0.50% from two or more races. 0.56% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 52.0% were of German, 9.2% English, 8.8% Irish, 6.6% American and 6.4% Norwegian ancestry.

There were 18,465 households, out of which 30.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.10% were married couples living together, 7.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.90% were non-families. 26.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.03.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.70% under the age of 18, 14.60% from 18 to 24, 24.80% from 25 to 44, 21.60% from 45 to 64, and 15.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 103.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.00 males.

## Government and infrastructure

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The Wisconsin Secure Program Facility (WSPF), a Wisconsin Department of Corrections prison for men, is located in Boscobel in Grant County.[13][14]

## Politics

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Grant County has been a reliably Republican county at the federal level for most of its existence. Starting in 1992 however, it voted for the Democratic candidate for President six elections in a row before shifting back to the GOP in 2016.

United States presidential election results for Grant County, Wisconsin[15] Year  | Republican | Democratic | Third party

|
|
|

No. | % | No. | % | No. | %
2020 | 14,142  | 55.22% | 10,998  | 42.95%  | 468  | 1.83%
2016 | 12,350  | 50.68% | 10,051  | 41.25%  | 1,967  | 8.07%
2012 | 10,255  | 42.29%  | 13,594  | 56.06% | 399  | 1.65%
2008 | 9,068  | 37.29%  | 14,875  | 61.16% | 377  | 1.55%
2004 | 12,208  | 48.32%  | 12,864  | 50.92% | 192  | 0.76%
2000 | 10,240  | 46.64%  | 10,691  | 48.69% | 1,025  | 4.67%
1996 | 7,021  | 36.54%  | 9,203  | 47.89% | 2,991  | 15.57%
1992 | 7,678  | 33.16%  | 8,914  | 38.49% | 6,565  | 28.35%
1988 | 10,049  | 51.32% | 9,421  | 48.12%  | 110  | 0.56%
1984 | 13,430  | 62.58% | 7,892  | 36.78%  | 138  | 0.64%
1980 | 13,298  | 55.82% | 8,406  | 35.28%  | 2,120  | 8.90%
1976 | 12,016  | 54.11% | 9,639  | 43.41%  | 552  | 2.49%
1972 | 11,873  | 62.29% | 6,915  | 36.28%  | 273  | 1.43%
1968 | 10,789  | 62.49% | 5,414  | 31.36%  | 1,061  | 6.15%
1964 | 7,872  | 45.74%  | 9,309  | 54.09% | 30  | 0.17%
1960 | 11,564  | 60.05% | 7,678  | 39.87%  | 16  | 0.08%
1956 | 11,648  | 68.69% | 5,208  | 30.71%  | 102  | 0.60%
1952 | 14,327  | 77.21% | 4,197  | 22.62%  | 32  | 0.17%
1948 | 8,299  | 55.00% | 6,575  | 43.57%  | 215  | 1.42%
1944 | 10,226  | 62.56% | 6,091  | 37.27%  | 28  | 0.17%
1940 | 11,143  | 59.40% | 7,458  | 39.76%  | 158  | 0.84%
1936 | 7,196  | 41.11%  | 9,170  | 52.39% | 1,137  | 6.50%
1932 | 5,986  | 37.60%  | 9,701  | 60.94% | 232  | 1.46%
1928 | 10,052  | 59.85% | 6,630  | 39.48%  | 112  | 0.67%
1924 | 5,714  | 40.33%  | 1,518  | 10.71%  | 6,937  | 48.96%
1920 | 9,638  | 80.92% | 1,971  | 16.55%  | 302  | 2.54%
1916 | 4,718  | 56.29% | 3,459  | 41.27%  | 205  | 2.45%
1912 | 3,283  | 41.63%  | 3,615  | 45.84% | 988  | 12.53%
1908 | 4,989  | 55.09% | 3,696  | 40.81%  | 371  | 4.10%
1904 | 5,804  | 64.52% | 2,886  | 32.08%  | 305  | 3.39%
1900 | 5,609  | 61.15% | 3,254  | 35.48%  | 309  | 3.37%
1896 | 5,315  | 57.40% | 3,683  | 39.77%  | 262  | 2.83%
1892 | 4,217  | 50.23% | 3,685  | 43.89%  | 494  | 5.88%

## Communities

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### Cities

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* Boscobel
* Cuba City (partly in Lafayette County)
* Fennimore
* Lancaster (county seat)
* Platteville

### Villages

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* Bagley
* Bloomington
* Blue River
* Cassville
* Dickeyville
* Hazel Green (partly in Lafayette County)
* Livingston (partly in Iowa County)
* Montfort (partly in Iowa County)
* Muscoda (partly in Iowa County)
* Mount Hope
* Patch Grove
* Potosi
* Tennyson
* Woodman

### Towns

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* Beetown
* Bloomington
* Cassville
* Castle Rock
* Clifton
* Ellenboro
* Fennimore
* Glen Haven
* Harrison
* Hazel Green
* Hickory Grove
* Jamestown
* Liberty
* Lima
* Little Grant
* Marion
* Millville
* Mount Hope
* Mount Ida
* Muscoda
* North Lancaster
* Paris
* Patch Grove
* Platteville
* Potosi
* Smelser
* South Lancaster
* Waterloo
* Watterstown
* Wingville
* Woodman
* Wyalusing

### Census-designated places

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* Glen Haven
* Kieler
* Sandy Hook

### Unincorporated communities

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* Annaton
* Arthur
* Beetown
* Bigpatch
* British Hollow
* Brodtville
* Buena Vista
* Burton
* Castle Rock
* Centerville
* Cornelia
* Diamond Grove
* Ellenboro
* Elmo
* Fair Play
* Five Points
* Flora Fountain
* Georgetown
* Hickory Grove
* Homer
* Hurricane
* Lancaster Junction
* Louisburg
* McCartney
* Millville
* Mount Ida
* North Andover
* Prairie Corners
* Preston
* Rockville
* Rutledge
* Saint Rose
* Shady Dell
* Sinsinawa
* Stitzer
* Union
* Van Buren
* Werley
* Wyalusing

### Ghost town/neighborhood

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* Pleasant Ridge
* Sinnipee

## Notable people

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* Willard H. Burney, member of the Nebraska House of Representatives[16]
* B. W. Countryman, member of the South Dakota House of Representatives[17]
* John Lewis Dyer, Methodist circuit rider missionary in Minnesota and Colorado; lead miner in Grant County prior to 1848[18]
* William Garner Waddel, member of the South Dakota Senate[19]

## See also

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* National Register of Historic Places listings in Grant County, Wisconsin
* Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge

## Footnotes

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1. ^ a b "2020 Decennial Census: Grant County, Wisconsin". data.census.gov. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
2. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
4. ^ "Grant County Place Names". Grant County Historical Society. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
5. ^ "Wisconsin: Individual County Chronologies". Wisconsin Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. 2007. Archived from the original on April 14, 2017. Retrieved August 13, 2015.
6. ^ Castello N. Holford History of Grant County, Wisconsin. Chicago: Western Historical Company, 1881, pp. 7-9.
7. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
8. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
9. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
10. ^ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
11. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
12. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
13. ^ "Boscobel city, Wisconsin[permanent dead link]." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on October 10, 2010.
14. ^ "Wisconsin Secure Program Facility Archived September 14, 2010, at the Wayback Machine." Wisconsin Department of Corrections. Retrieved on October 10, 2010.
15. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
16. ^ "Willard H. Burney (1857-1943)". The Political Graveyard. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
17. ^ "B. W. Countryman (b. 1867)". Political Graveyard. Retrieved October 10, 2013.
18. ^ "Jim Fagan, Snowshoes, Saloons, and Salvation: The Life And Times Of a 19th Century Colorado Pioneer Preacher, December 20, 2004". snowshoemag.com. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
19. ^ "William Garner Waddel". Political Graveyard. Retrieved November 23, 2013.

## Further reading

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* Commemorative Biographical Record of the Counties of Rock, Green, Grant, Iowa, and Lafayette, Wisconsin, Containing Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens, and of Many of the Early Settled Families. Chicago: J. H. Beers and Co., 1901.
* History of Grant County, Wisconsin. Chicago: Western Historical Company, 1881.

## External links

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* Grant County Official Government Website
* Grant County map from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation
* Grant County Health and Demographic Data
* Grant County Sheriff's Office

Places adjacent to Grant County, Wisconsin

|  | Crawford County | Richland County

|
|

|  |
Clayton County, Iowa |

Grant County, Wisconsin

| Iowa County and Lafayette County
|  |
| Dubuque County, Iowa | Jo Daviess County, Illinois

* v
* t
* e

Municipalities and communities of Grant County, Wisconsin, United States

County seat: Lancaster

Cities|

* Boscobel
* Cuba City‡
* Fennimore
* Lancaster
* Platteville

Villages|

* Bagley
* Bloomington
* Blue River
* Cassville
* Dickeyville
* Hazel Green‡
* Livingston‡
* Montfort‡
* Mount Hope
* Muscoda‡
* Patch Grove
* Potosi
* Tennyson
* Woodman

Towns|

* Beetown
* Bloomington
* Boscobel
* Cassville
* Castle Rock
* Clifton
* Ellenboro
* Fennimore
* Glen Haven
* Harrison
* Hazel Green
* Hickory Grove
* Jamestown
* Liberty
* Lima
* Little Grant
* Marion
* Millville
* Mount Hope
* Mount Ida
* Muscoda
* North Lancaster
* Paris
* Patch Grove
* Platteville
* Potosi
* Smelser
* South Lancaster
* Waterloo
* Watterstown
* Wingville
* Woodman
* Wyalusing

CDPs|

* Glen Haven
* Kieler
* Sandy Hook

Other
communities|

* Annaton
* Arthur
* Beetown
* Bigpatch
* British Hollow
* Brodtville
* Buena Vista
* Burton
* Castle Rock
* Centerville
* Cornelia
* Diamond Grove
* Ellenboro
* Elmo
* Fair Play
* Five Points
* Flora Fountain
* Georgetown
* Hickory Grove
* Homer
* Hurricane
* Lancaster Junction
* Louisburg
* McCartney
* Millville
* Mount Ida
* North Andover
* Prairie Corners
* Preston
* Rockville
* Rutledge
* Saint Rose
* Shady Dell
* Sinsinawa
* Stitzer
* Union
* Van Buren
* Werley
* Wyalusing

Former
communities|

* Pleasant Ridge
* Sinnipee

Footnotes|

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

* United States portal

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State of Wisconsin

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Topics|

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Society|

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Regions|

* Apostle Islands
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Major metropolitan areas
(pop. over 500,000)|

* Chicago metropolitan area
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Largest cities
(pop. over 50,000)|

* Appleton
* Eau Claire
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* Janesville
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* Oshkosh
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Smaller cities
(pop. 15,000 to 50,000)|

* Beaver Dam
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* Stevens Point
* Sun Prairie
* Superior
* Watertown
* Wausau
* Wauwatosa
* West Bend
* Wisconsin Rapids

Largest villages
(pop. over 15,000)|

* Ashwaubenon
* Bellevue
* Caledonia
* Fox Crossing
* Germantown
* Howard
* Menomonee Falls
* Mount Pleasant
* Pleasant Prairie

Counties|

* Adams
* Ashland
* Barron
* Bayfield
* Brown
* Buffalo
* Burnett
* Calumet
* Chippewa
* Clark
* Columbia
* Crawford
* Dane
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* Langlade
* Lincoln
* Manitowoc
* Marathon
* Marinette
* Marquette
* Menominee
* Milwaukee
* Monroe
* Oconto
* Oneida
* Outagamie
* Ozaukee
* Pepin
* Pierce
* Polk
* Portage
* Price
* Racine
* Richland
* Rock
* Rusk
* Sauk
* Sawyer
* Shawano
* Sheboygan
* St. Croix
* Taylor
* Trempealeau
* Vernon
* Vilas
* Walworth
* Washburn
* Washington
* Waukesha
* Waupaca
* Waushara
* Winnebago
* Wood

Coordinates: 42°52′N 90°43′W﻿ / ﻿42.86°N 90.71°W﻿ / 42.86; -90.71
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