Wisconsin County Creation Dates and Parent Counties
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The following is a list of the counties that have existed in Wisconsin from the time it gained territorial status (20 April 1836) up to the present. It excludes those counties that were created in the area that became Iowa Territory on 4 July 1838.
Before becoming a territory the area that now makes up Wisconsin belonged to the following jurisdictions:
- Northwest Territory - 13 July 1787 to 7 May 1800
- Indiana Territory - 7 May 1800 to 1 March 1809
- Illinois Territory - 1 March 1809 to 18 April 1818
- Michigan Territory - 18 April 1818 to 20 April 1836
For a detailed look at the formation and boundary changes of Wisconsin Counties between 1818 and 1909 see:
- Kellogg, Louise Phelps. "Organization, Boundaries, and Names of Wisconsin Counties," in Proceedings of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin. 57 (1909), 184-231.
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See an interactive outline map of Wisconsin Historical Counties at Newberry Library site[1] (Free) Enter a year, Refresh Map, select zoom in, then click on the map to enlarge it. |
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Sort the table by Date Formed or by Parent Counties and check Boundary Changes for interesting insights. |
| Name of County | Date Formed | Boundary Changes |
Parent County | Counties Created by Boundary Changes |
| Adams | 1848 Mar 11 | Details | Portage | Juneau 1856 |
| Ashland | 1860 Mar 27 | Details | La Pointe (now Bayfield) |
Iron 1893, Sawyer 1883 |
| Bad Ax | 1851 Mar 01 | Details | Crawford | renamed Vernon 1862 |
| Barron | 1869 Mar 04 | Details | renamed from Dallas |
none |
| Bayfield | 1866 Apr 12 | Details | renamed from La Pointe | none |
| Brown | 1818 Oct 26 | Details | Michigan Territory |
Door 1851, Outagamie 1851 |
| Buffalo | 1853 Jul 06 | Details | Trempealeau | none |
| Burnett |
1856 Mar 31 | Details | Polk | Washburn 1883 |
| Calumet | 1836 Dec 07 | Details | Brown | charter repealed 1840, restablished 1842 |
| Chippewa | 1853 Feb 03 | Details | Crawford | Dunn 1854, Eau Claire 1856, Price 1879, Rusk 1901, Sawyer 1883, Taylor 1875 |
| Clark | 1853 Jul 06 | Details | Jackson | Taylor 1875 |
| Columbia | 1846 Feb 03 | Details | Portage | none |
| Crawford | 1818 Oct 26 | Details | Michigan Territory |
Chippewa 1845, Clark 1853, Bax Ax 1851, Trempealeau 1854 |
| Dallas | 1859 Mar 19 | Details | Polk | renamed Barron 1869 |
| Dane | 1836 Dec 07 | Details | Crawford, Iowa, Milwaukee | none |
| Dodge | 1836 Dec 07 | Details | Brown, Milwaukee | none |
| Door | 1851 Feb 11 | Details | Brown | none |
| Douglas | 1854 Feb 09 | Details | La Pointe | none |
| Dunn | 1854 Feb 03 | Details | Chippewa | Pepin 1858 |
| Eau Claire | 1856 Oct 06 | Details | Chippewa | none |
| Florence | 1882 Mar 18 | Details | Marinette, Oconto | none |
| Fond du Lac | 1836 Dec 07 | Details | Brown | none |
| Forest | 1885 Apr 11 | Details | Langlade | none |
| Gates | 1901 May 15 | Details | Chippewa | renamed Rusk 1905 |
| Grant | 1836 Dec 08 | Details | Iowa | none |
| Green | 1836 Dec 08 | Details | Iowa | none |
| Green Lake | 1858 Mar 05 | Details | Marquette | none |
| Iowa | 1829 Oct 09 | Details | Crawford | Lafayette 1846, Richland 1842 |
| Iron | 1893 Mar 01 | Details | Ashland | none |
| Jackson | 1853 Feb 11 | Details | La Crosse | none |
| Jefferson | 1836 Dec 07 | Details | Milwaukee | none |
| Juneau | 1856 Oct 13 | Details | Adams | none |
| Kenosha | 1850 Jan 30 | Details | Racine | none |
| Kewaunee | 1852 Apr 16 | Details | Door | none |
| La Crosse | 1851 Mar 01 | Details | Crawford | Jackson 1853, Monroe 1854, Trempealeau 1854 |
| La Pointe | 1845 Feb 19 | Details | Saint Croix | renamed Bayfield 1866 |
| Lafayette | 1846 Jan 31 | Details | Iowa | none |
| Langlade | 1880 Feb 19 | Details | renamed from New |
Forest 1885 |
| Lincoln | 1874 Mar 04 | Details | Marathon | New 1879, Oneida 1885, Price 1879, Taylor 1875 |
| Manitowoc | 1836 Dec 07 | Details | Brown | Kenaunee 1852 |
| Marathon | 1850 Feb 09 | Details | Portage | Lincoln 1874, Taylor 1875 |
| Marinette | 1879 Feb 27 | Details | Oconto | Florence 1882 |
| Marquette | 1836 Dec 07 | Details | Brown | Green Lake 1858, Waushara 1851 |
| Menominee | 1959 Jul 03 | Details | Menominee Indian Reservation |
Reservation terminated 1961, restored 1973, co-existence. |
| Milwaukee | 1834 Sep 06 | Details | Michigan Territory |
Jefferson 1836, Ozaukee 1853, Waukesha 1846 |
| Monroe | 1854 Mar 21 | Details | La Crosse | none |
| New | 1879 Feb 27 | Details | Oconto | renamed Langlade 1880 |
| Oconto | 1851 Feb 06 | Details | Brown | New 1879, Marinette 1879, Shawano 1853 |
| Oneida | 1885 Apr 11 | Details | Lincoln | Iron 1893, Vilas 1893 |
| Outagamie | 1851 Feb 17 | Details | Brown, Winnebago | none |
| Ozaukee | 1853 ar 7 | Details | Washington | none |
| Pepin | 1858 Feb 25 | Details | Dunn | none |
| Pierce | 1853 Mar 14 | Details | Saint Croix | none |
| Polk | 1853 Mar 14 | Details | Saint Croix | Dallas 1859, Burnett 1856 |
| Portage | 1836 Dec 07 | Details | Brown, Crawford, Iowa, Milwaukee | Adams 1848, Columbia 1846, Wood 1856, Marathon 1850 |
| Price | 1879 Feb 26 | Details | Chippewa, Lincoln | none |
| Racine | 1836 Dec 07 | Details | Milwaukee | Kenosha 1850 |
| Richland | 1842 Feb 18 | Details | Iowa | Bad Ax 1851 |
| Rock | 1836 Dec 07 | Details | Milwaukee | none |
| Rusk | 1905 Jun 19 | Details | renamed from Gates | none |
| St. Croix | 1840 Jan 09 | CROIX Details | Crawford | Pierce 1853, Polk 1853 |
| Sauk | 1840 Jan 11 | Details | Crawford, Dane, Portage | none |
| Sawyer | 1883 Mar 10 | Details | Ashland, Chippewa | none |
| Shawano | 1853 Feb 16 | Details | Oconto | none |
| Sheboygan | 1836 Dec 07 | Details | Brown | none |
| Taylor | 1875 Mar 04 | Details | Chippewa, Clark, Lincoln, Marathon | none |
| Trempealeau | 1854 Jan 27 | Details | Buffalo, Chippewa, Jackson, La Crosse | none |
| Vernon | 1862 Mar 22 | Details | renamed from Bad Ax | none |
| Vilas | 1893 Apr 12 | Details | Oneida | none |
| Walworth | 1836 Dec 07 | Details | Milwaukee | none |
| Washburn | 1883 Mar 27 | Details | Burnett | none |
| Washington | 1836 Dec 07 | Details | Brown, Milwaukee | none |
| Waukesha | 1846 Jan 31 | Details | Milwaukee | none |
| Waupaca | 1851 Feb 17 | Details | Brown, Winnebago | none |
| Waushara | 1851 Feb 15 | Details | Marquette | none |
| Winnebago | 1840 an 6 | Details | Brown | none |
| Wood | 1856 Mar 29 | Details | Portage | none |
References
- ↑ [http://historical-county.newberry.org/website/Wisconsin/viewer.htm Wisconsin Atlas of Historical County Boundaries, John H. Long, Editor; Peggy Tuck Sinko, Associate Editor; Gordon DenBoer, Historical Compiler; Douglas Knox, Book Digitizing Director and Digital Compiler; Emily Kelley, Research Associate; Laura Rico-Beck, GIS Specialist; Peter Siczewicz, ArcIMS Interactive Map Designer; Robert Will, Cartographic Assistant. Copyright The Newberry Library 2008.
