Wisconsin Facts and Figures

1876 artwork by Henry Mitchell, via Wikipedia Commons

 Wisconsin ranks 15th among states and provinces with markers in this database. Wisconsin is a state in the United States of America located in the American Midwest. It is also in the Great Lakes region. Wisconsin is some 65 thousand square miles in size with a population of around 5.8 million people. The state is divided into 72 counties and 71 of them have entries in this database. In Wisconsin we have discovered historical markers in 511 cities and towns lying in 469 different ZIP Codes.

How many historical markers are there in Wisconsin? There are least 2,754 of them, by our count. We have cataloged 2,752 historical markers and 110 war memorials—each individually presented on 2,825 illustrated, annotated, and searchable pages of the Historical Marker Database. Pages for historical markers from this state make up 2.2% of our total. In addition, we are reasonably certain of another two historical markers in Wisconsin that we don’t yet have, and instead show on our Want List. Our correspondents have been finding and adding hundreds of markers a month to the database from all over the world, so next time you visit this page you will probably find that the numbers here have changed.

The first Wisconsin marker in the database, Ringling Brothers Circus, was added April 8, 2007. It was photographed near Baraboo in Sauk County and was erected in 1956. The last one added was submitted on January 18, 2020, and titled Namur and the Norbertine Fathers: Community, Education, and Religion among Belgian-Americans. It is in Namur in Door County. Keeping in mind that the erection date of many markers in the database is not known, the earliest historical marker we know of in Wisconsin was erected in 1868. It was this one: Town of Rhine Civil War Monument, and one of our correspondents found it in Town of Rhine in Sheboygan County on October 8, 2013.

Wisconsinites don’t want to forget their Settlements and Settlers history. How do we know? Because there are more historical markers in the database from Wisconsin about Settlements and Settlers—518 of them—than about any other historical category. A close second is Industry and Commerce with 493 markers.

The first marker added to the database with the Settlements and Settlers category was Point Basse, added June 8, 2007. It had been erected in 1963 in Nekoosa in Wood County. The last one submitted also was submitted on January 18, 2020, and titled Namur and the Norbertine Fathers: Community, Education, and Religion among Belgian-Americans. It had been erected in Namur in Door County. The earliest marker erected with the Settlements and Settlers category that we have listed was erected in 1887. It was Solomon Juneau, found in Milwaukee in Milwaukee County on November 26, 2010.

The Wisconsin county with the most historical markers listed in this database is Milwaukee County, with 496 of them. It is followed by Dane County with 429 markers. The Milwaukee area of Milwaukee County has the highest number of markers within its limits, 442. In Dane County the area with the most markers, 315, is Madison.

Checking the database for the city or town in Wisconsin with the most markers we again find Milwaukee at the top of the list with 442 markers in or near it. And Madison also shows up again in next place, with 315 markers. For the ZIP Code with the most markers it’s 53703 at the top of the list with 164 markers in its delivery area. (ZIP Code 53703 is assigned to Madison WI.) It is followed closely by ZIP Code 53203 with 160 markers. (53203 is assigned to Milwaukee WI.)

Getting back to Milwaukee County, the first marker added to the database from there, Captain Frederick Pabst, was added June 12, 2008. It was erected in 1992 in Milwaukee. The last one submitted was uploaded on November 4, 2019, and is titled Bob Uecker, in Milwaukee. The earliest marker erected in Milwaukee County that we have listed was erected in 1887. It was Solomon Juneau, found in Milwaukee on November 26, 2010.

By Devon Polzar, 2019

Latest Entry from Wisconsin
“Namur and the Norbertine Fathers: Community, Education, and Religion among Belgian-Americans”

And finally the first, last, and oldest markers from Madison. The first: Yahara River Parkway, was added June 14, 2009. It had been erected in 1996. The last: Forest Hill Soldiers' Lot added on January 3, 2020. The earliest marker erected was erected in 1908: Harvey Hospital, added on July 12, 2010.

The Wisconsin Historical Society is currently in charge of the familiar tobacco brown with a badger symbol official historical markers found all over the state and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation typically installs and maintains those that are roadside. They erected their first marker in 1951, and we have 422 of their markers in the database. Also, a number of counties have erected historical markers on their streets and roads and within their public areas, as have some cities and towns.

By Paul Fehrenbach, September 17, 2019

A Wisconsin Historical Society Historical Marker

Then there are federal government agencies that put up historical markers, especially in national parks and other areas under their jurisdiction. And finally, there are the numerous public and private organizations and individuals that erect markers. Some do this as a continual endeavor, and others once in a while, to mark something, someone, or someplace they find important or interesting. When one of our correspondents comes across one that satisfies our criteria, we add it to the database.

You’ll find that even the smallest, least populated, or most rural areas of Wisconsin have been marked with history. Check out Washburn County, Forest County and Taylor County. We've only found, respectively, 3, 3, and 2 historical markers there. Visiting one or more of these parts of Wisconsin might make for a pleasant road trip, and maybe you’ll discover more historical markers while you’re there. If you do, perhaps you’ll take the time to photograph them and, when you get home, become an HMdb correspondent by adding them to the database. Happy Hunting!