The Iowa County courthouse on Wednesday August 12, 2015
Iowa County was formed in 1829 by the government of the Michigan Territory from land that had been part of the original Crawford County. The new county was named after the Iowa tribe of Native Americans. Development of Iowa County was originally driven by lead mining, especially in the areas around Mineral Point and Dodgeville. The southwestern corner of what is now Wisconsin grew very rapidly due mining, which was why Iowa County was created. As the population continued to increased, the original Iowa County was further divided; Grant, Green, Dane and Lafayette counties were all created from Iowa County.
Dodgeville is the county seat. Its history goes back to 1827 when Henry Dodge (yes the same Henry Dodge that Dodge County is named after) set up a mining settlement in the area. Dodge negotiated a pact with the Winnebago (Ho-Chunk) tribe to set up cabins and a smelter. Dodgeville was incorporated as a village in the 1840s and eventually became the county seat after a long dispute with Mineral Point, which was the original county seat. After the mining boom faded, agriculture became the dominant economic force in Dodgeville and in Iowa County in general. Agriculture is still important today, but businesses like Lands’ End are very important to Dodgeville.
The Iowa County courthouse is located at 222 North Iowa Street in Dodgeville. It was built in 1859, so it is the oldest active county courthouse in Wisconsin, and there is a historical marker there to prove it. We visited Dodgeville on Wednesday August 12, 2015. It was a beautiful day and we were able to park right in front of the courthouse. There was not a lot of traffic downtown and it turned out that this was because we chose to visit on the first day of the annual Lands’ End tent sale. We took some pictures of the courthouse which was not easy: there is no courthouse square so it’s hard to find a good vantage point to take photos. While the front part of the courthouse dates back to 1859, there are more modern additions at the rear of the building.
I have a lot of memories of Iowa County. When I was a kid we would occasionally take day trips to sites in Iowa County when visiting my grandmother who lived in Madison. We visited the Mineral Point area several times to see some of the lead mining sites. These days I typically visit Iowa County on the Military Ridge bike trail. The trail crosses into Iowa County just west of Blue Mounds and the western end of the trail is in Dodgeville. I’ve only biked as far as Ridgeway on the trail. Well, so far anyway!
Near Ridgeway is Folklore Village which is a folk arts and culture center. The German men’s choir that I sing with performed a Christmas concert at Folklore Village in 2014. In Iowa County, but very close to the Village of Spring Green in Sauk County are several places I have visited. The main attraction is Taliesin, which is the home of architect Frank Lloyd Wright. I remember visiting here with my grandmother when I was about 12 years old. Nearby is Tower Hill State Park. This is a 19th century shot tower which used the local lead resources to produce lead pellets for use in shotguns. I vaguely remember visiting here with my family when I was about ten years old.
Also nearby is the American Players Theater. I’ve attended several productions here, but it’s been a while since the last time I went. Just down the road from the APT is the House on the Rock Resort (and golf course). When I served on the church council of one of my previous churches, we would have our “council retreats” here. This was usually in October or November so we were pretty much the only ones staying in the resort. It’s a nice place.