Monroe County, Wisconsin

Monroe County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Named in honor of President James Monroe - Gannett, Place Names, p. 182.

[Source: Kellogg, Louise Phelps. "Derivation of County Names" in Proceedings of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin for 1909, pages 219-231.]

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

County History

Monroe County, created in 1854 from La Crosse County, is named after James Monroe, the 5th President of the United States. Located in southwest Wisconsin, the county seat is Sparta.

MONROE.--Population 2,151.
From: Handbook of Wisconsin by S. Silas, 1855
pg. 85-86

Formed out of La Crosse in 1854. It is watered by the heads of the Kickapoo, La Crosse and Lemonwier Rivers. Forests of pine are about the sources of the Kickapoo, which are yet scarcely broken in upon. The settlements are few and small, and the land mostly unsold.

There is much good furming land, though most of it is of light soil, and will be rejected till other lands are occupied. It lies in the La Crosse land district.

Sparta, the County Seat, at the junction of Beaver Creek and La Crosse River, 30 miles from La Crosse, contains a population of about 700, and is still rapidly increasing. It has a good water power, and like all other new places, schools, public houses, stores &c., are there.

Jackson, on the Lemonwier, has been but recently laid out, and has a valuable mill privilege, in which the proprietor is erecting saw mills, white pine abounding in its vicinity.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 908 square miles (2,352 km²), of which, 901 square miles (2,333 km²) of it is land and 8 square miles (19 km²) of it (0.83%) is water.

Neighboring Counties:

• Jackson County - north
• Juneau County - east
• Vernon County - south
• La Crosse County - west

Cities and Towns:

County Resources:

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