Mazomanie in Dane County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Mazomanie

Photographed by Keith L, May 5, 2009

1. Mazomanie Marker

Inscription. In 1850, the Milwaukee and Mississippi Rail Road Company began building a line to span the lower third of Wisconsin between Milwaukee and Prairie du Chien. Chief Engineer Edward Brodhead concluded that this area's topographical features were ideal for constructing a railroad servicing station and a commercial trading village. In 1855, he platted the village and named it "Mazomanie," an Indian name he believed to mean "Iron Horse." Mazomanie developed quickly after a dam and millrace were built to harness the water power of Black Earth Creek. The new railroad village revitalized the lagging farm economy of the early settlers, who arrived in the 1840s under the auspices of the British Temperance Emigration Society. By the mid-1870s Mazomanie was a thriving commercial and industrial center of over 1100 people. The village eventually supported two flour mills, two creameries, a brewery, four blacksmith shops, a foundry, and factories which produced knitted goods, cabinets, carriages, wagons, and agricultural implements. Many of Mazomanie's 19th-century buildings remain in the village today.

Erected 1996 by the Wisconsin

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Historical Society. (Marker Number 337.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Railroads & Streetcars • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Wisconsin Historical Society series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1850.

Location. 43° 10.545′ N, 89° 47.642′ W. Marker is in Mazomanie, Wisconsin, in Dane County. It is at the intersection of Brodhead Street and American Legion Street, on the right when traveling north on Brodhead Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Mazomanie WI 53560, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Southeast Wisconsin and in Greater Madison.

It is also in the American Midwest

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Flag on the Bluff (within shouting distance of this

Photographed by Keith L, May 5, 2009

2. Mazomanie Marker

marker); Milwaukee & Mississippi Railroad Depot (within shouting distance of this marker); The Ringling Brothers (within shouting distance of this marker); Mazomanie Electric Power Plant (within shouting distance of this marker); The Mazomanie Downtown Historic District (within shouting distance of this marker); The Branch Line (within shouting distance of this marker); The Mazomanie Depot (within shouting distance of this marker); The Railroad in Mazomanie (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Mazomanie.

Nearby Mazomanie Depot image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Keith L, May 5, 2009

3. Nearby Mazomanie Depot

Mazomanie's 1857 Railroad Depot is the oldest wooden depot in the Midwest.

Credits. This page was last revised on January 8, 2024. It was originally submitted on May 30, 2009, by Keith L of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 2,180 times since then and 64 times this year. Last updated on January 7, 2024, by Devon Polzar of Port Washington, Wisconsin. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 30, 2009, by Keith L of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.