Wisconsin has a long and fascinating history stretching back to a time well before history was recorded. The state and its people have gone through cycle after cycle of changes, and at times those changes have meant leaving behind a little piece of the past. All of the town below were abandoned for one reason or another and now stand empty, simply existing as ghosts of our collective past.
- Donaldson
Landolakes-wi.org/ Formed around the lumber industry, the city was abandoned after the mill burned down and Land O’ Lakes grew and took shape. The school steps are supposedly still visible.
- Pokerville
WI Historical Society Digital Librar Pokerville started life as Blue Mounds West. A busy town on a the main road across the state, it was known as a place to gather, drink and gamble
As these news articles show, the city was the first in Dane County.
UW Special Collections It counts some illustrious folks among its native sons.
- Sinippee
WI Historical Society Digital Library Located directly across the Mississippi from Dubuque, Iowa, it was located on a small tributary to the Mississippi called the Sinippee. At one time, it competed as a port on the river and was important in the lead industry. There was a large stone hotel and both Zachary Taylor and Jefferson Davis once stayed there.
- Fort Howard
Wikipedia/Public Domain For Howard was constructed during the War of 1812 to protect the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers, which were both important to trade, from British Invasion.
An outbreak of malaria spelled the end of Fort Howard as residents were sent to nearby Fort Smith. It was reoccupied shortly after, but by 1853 was fully decommissioned.
gbpolice.org
A few of the buildings were moved to Fort Smith when Fort Howard was abandoned.
Wikipedia/Royalbroil Now a few of them sit at Heritage Hill Park near Green Bay.
- Fort Crawford
Flickr/Roger W This fort was actually used twice. It was rebuilt as part of the second use under the command of future president Zachary Taylor. Located near Prairie du Chien, the buildings became part of the municipal pool in the 1940s.
- Dover
Flickr/JeromeG111 The city of Dover had a series of different names. The original settlers were from the British Temperance and Emmigration Society, The city was abandoned when it was bypassed by the railroad in favor of Mazomanie.
- Cooksville
Wikipedia/James Steakley Another casualty of the railroad, Cooksville was a growing town with its own mill.
The general store still stands and has been running for most of the past 170 years.
Flickr/Jason Dean
Planned and built in a New England style and later settled by Norwegian immigrants, Cooksville is a little slice of each.
Wikipedia/James Steakley
- Ceresco
Ripon-WI.com Named after the Roman goddess of the harvest, the area is in present day Ripon.
Originally settled by 19 folks looking to create a commune in the social philosophy principles of Charles Fourier, this is one of the original long homes they constructed and lived in together.
Wikipedia/Public Domain
In some ways, their experiment was a success. They lasted longer than most communes.
Wikipedia/Royalbroil And the area is still known as Ceresco, honoring their original settlement of the area.
- Belmont
Flickr/Jimmy Emerson DVM The Wisconsin Territory was formed in 1836 and it was quickly understood by entrepreneurial residents that a place for the government to meet and form would be needed.
John Atchison constructed a few buildings and then-Governor Henry Dodge chose Belmont.
flickr/Jimmy Emerson, DVM A capitol building and court building still stand, though the court building was never used.
Belmont was used for less than two months. The buildings had no heat and the meetings began in late October 1836.
Flickr/Jimmy Emerson DVM There was a guesthouse, but it was crowded and none of the legislators were happy with the choice. They soon voted Madison the capital and all operations were moved there.
9. Ulao
Landolakes-wi.org/
Formed around the lumber industry, the city was abandoned after the mill burned down and Land O’ Lakes grew and took shape. The school steps are supposedly still visible.
WI Historical Society Digital Librar
Pokerville started life as Blue Mounds West. A busy town on a the main road across the state, it was known as a place to gather, drink and gamble
UW Special Collections
It counts some illustrious folks among its native sons.
WI Historical Society Digital Library
Located directly across the Mississippi from Dubuque, Iowa, it was located on a small tributary to the Mississippi called the Sinippee. At one time, it competed as a port on the river and was important in the lead industry. There was a large stone hotel and both Zachary Taylor and Jefferson Davis once stayed there.
Wikipedia/Public Domain
For Howard was constructed during the War of 1812 to protect the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers, which were both important to trade, from British Invasion.
gbpolice.org
Wikipedia/Royalbroil
Now a few of them sit at Heritage Hill Park near Green Bay.
Flickr/Roger W
This fort was actually used twice. It was rebuilt as part of the second use under the command of future president Zachary Taylor. Located near Prairie du Chien, the buildings became part of the municipal pool in the 1940s.
Flickr/JeromeG111
The city of Dover had a series of different names. The original settlers were from the British Temperance and Emmigration Society, The city was abandoned when it was bypassed by the railroad in favor of Mazomanie.
Wikipedia/James Steakley
Another casualty of the railroad, Cooksville was a growing town with its own mill.
Flickr/Jason Dean
Ripon-WI.com
Named after the Roman goddess of the harvest, the area is in present day Ripon.
And the area is still known as Ceresco, honoring their original settlement of the area.
Flickr/Jimmy Emerson DVM
The Wisconsin Territory was formed in 1836 and it was quickly understood by entrepreneurial residents that a place for the government to meet and form would be needed.
flickr/Jimmy Emerson, DVM
A capitol building and court building still stand, though the court building was never used.
There was a guesthouse, but it was crowded and none of the legislators were happy with the choice. They soon voted Madison the capital and all operations were moved there.
In the mid-1800s, Ulao was a major port in Ozaukee county, but the area will forever be remembered for an infamous resident. Founded by an enterprising businessman looking to take advantage of Lake Michigan and the money available in the logging industry, he hired two land surveyors to help lay out the area in streets and land plots. The son of one of those men is Charles Guiteau – the man who assassinated president Garfield. It was also home to displaced Strangeite Mormons who’d left Voree, Wisconsin for Beaver Island, Michigan before fleeing to Ulao.
Do you know any more about some of these forgotten and disappeared Wisconsin locations? Share with us in the comments!
Want to know more about the Wisconsin that used to be? Check out 13 Abandoned Buildings Across Wisconsin That Are Creepy But Beautiful
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