THIS COUNTY IS AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION. If you are interested in hosting it, please contact the state coordinator.
My name is Gayle Triller and I am the temporary county coordinator for Jackson County.  If you have any corrections or additions for this site please email me.

Jackson County was formed from Crawford County in 1853.  Black River Falls became the county seat and within 20 years there were 10 townships.  At present, there are 21 within the county boundaries. The earliest inhabitants of Jackson County were the Winnebago Tribe.  Another early group was the Mormons, followers of Joseph Smith.  The temple they constructed at Nauvoo, Illinois, was built with lumber from the Jackson County.  Many later followers of James Strang, known as "Strangite Mormons", came here to settle.

The first settlers were loggers, lured here by the white pine that was in abundance in the county.  And, as with most of Wisconsin's early settlers, they came from the eastern states.  When the logging camps closed, the farmland enticed a new kind of settler, the farmer, the first of which was Robert Douglas, a Scotsman who settled here in 1839.  Farming includes cranberries, sphagum moss and strawberries.  Other industries include the mining of iron ore.  The first newspaper, the Badger State Banner printed its first issue in 1856.

As with many areas of Wisconsin there was a large influx of Old World immigrants and as their populations grew, the traditions they brought with them to their new homeland created a diverse cultural history is still found today.

 

Cemeteries Census
Newspapers History
Links Lookups and Resources
Photos Poor Farm
Surnames  

 

Neighboring Counties
Trempeleau   Monroe   Juneau   Wood   LaCrosse

Last Update Monday, 07-May-2018 17:23:44 CDT



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