Wisconsin Atlas of Historical County Boundaries
John H. Long, Editor; Peggy Tuck Sinko, Associate Editor; Gordon DenBoer, Historical Compiler; Douglas Knox, Book Digitizing Director; Emily Kelley, Research Associate; Laura Rico-Beck, GIS Specialist and Digital Compiler; Peter Siczewicz, ArcIMS Interactive Map Designer; Robert Will, Cartographic Assistant
Copyright The Newberry Library 2007
2 June 1609
King James I granted a new charter to the Virginia Company of London, expanding Virginia's jurisdiction westward and northwestward to the Pacific Ocean; included all of present Wisconsin. (Paullin, pl. 42; Swindler, 10:24-36; Van Zandt, 92)
10 February 1763
Treaty of Paris, ending the Seven Years' War between Great Britain (the victor) and France and Spain, formally transferred to the British all of Canada (territory north of the Ohio River-Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River line), including present Wisconsin, and implicitly set the Mississippi River as the new western limit for the British Colonies. (Cappon, Petchenik, and Long, 1)
20 May 1774
The British Parliament passed the Quebec Act, placing all territory north and west of the Ohio River, including present Wisconsin, under the jurisdiction of the province of Quebec. (Cappon, Petchenik, and Long, 16, 87)
4 July 1776
The United States declared itself independent of Great Britain, implicitly opening the possibility that Virginia and some other states might claim territory north of the Ohio River and west of the Appalachian Mountains based on their colonial charters. (Declaration of Independence)
9 December 1778
ILLINOIS County (Va., extinct) created by Virginia to encompass all territory north and west of the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi River claimed by Virginia on the basis of its 1609 charter; ILLINOIS County including all of present Wisconsin. (Hening, 9:552-555, 10:303-304; Robinson, 55)
3 September 1783
Commissioners from Great Britain and the United States signed the Treaty of Paris (ratifications exchanged 12 May 1784) ending the War of the American Revolution, recognizing American independence, and generally defining U.S. territory as extending to the Great Lakes-Lake of the Woods line on the north and the Mississippi River on the west, including present Wisconsin. (Parry, 48:481, 487, 491-492; Van Zandt, 12)
1 March 1784
Virginia ceded to the United States its charter claims to territory "northwestward of the river Ohio;" ILLINOIS County (Va.) eliminated. All of present Wisconsin became unorganized federal territory although certain states still claimed parts of the western lands based on their colonial charters. (Cappon, Petchenik, and Long, 62, 130-131; Hening, 11:571-575)
19 April 1785
Massachusetts, the only state other than Virginia whose colonial charter covered part of present Wisconsin, ceded to the United States its claim to lands between the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. (Cappon, Petchenik, and Long, 62, 131)
13 July 1787
The United States created the Territory of the United States Northwest of the River Ohio (Northwest Territory) from unorganized federal territory to govern all territory west of Pennsylvania, north of the Ohio River, and east of the Mississippi River, to which states had ceded their colonial charter claims. Map depicts non-county area of the Northwest Territory in present Wisconsin. (Terr. Papers U.S., 2:39-50)
20 June 1790
KNOX (Ind.) created by the Northwest Territory from non-county area; included parts of present Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio. (Terr. Papers U.S., 3:313)
15 August 1796
WAYNE (Northwest Territory, extinct) created by the Northwest Territory from HAMILTON (Ohio), KNOX (Ind.), and non-county area; included parts of present Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan. KNOX (Ind.) eliminated from present Wisconsin. (Terr. Papers U.S., 2:567-568, 3:447)
4 July 1800
The United States created Indiana Territory from the Northwest Territory; included all of present Wisconsin. WAYNE (Northwest Territory, extinct) eliminated from present Wisconsin. Map depicts non-county area of Indiana Territory in present Wisconsin. (Terr. Papers U.S., 3:86-88; U.S. Stat., vol. 2, ch. 41 [1800]/pp. 58-59)
3 February 1801
As an Indiana Territory county (created in 1790), ST. CLAIR (Ill.) gained non-county area in Indiana Territory, gained from KNOX (Ind.), and lost to RANDOLPH (Ill.). ST. CLAIR (Ill.) included territory in present Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, and Michigan. (Ind. Terr., Exec. Journal, 98-100)
1 March 1803
WAYNE (Indiana Territory, extinct) created by Indiana Territory from KNOX (Ind.), ST. CLAIR (Ill.), and WAYNE (Northwest Territory, extinct); included parts of present Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. (Ind. Terr., Exec. Journal, 114-115; Pence and Armstrong, 218; U.S. Stat., vol. 2, ch. 40 [1802], secs. 1-3/pp. 173-174; Van Zandt, 112)
1 May 1803
ST. CLAIR (Ill.) exchanged with RANDOLPH (Ill.); area within present Wisconsin was unchanged. (Ind. Terr., Exec. Journal, 117-118)
30 June 1805
The United States created Michigan Territory from Indiana Territory. The eastern part of present Wisconsin that had been part of WAYNE (Indiana Territory, extinct) became non-county area in Indiana Territory; WAYNE (Indiana Territory) effectively eliminated. (Terr. Papers U.S., 10:5-7; U.S. Stat., vol. 2, ch. 5 [1805]/pp. 309-310)
1 March 1809
The United States created Illinois Territory from Indiana Territory; included all of present Illinois (except 2 small areas along the Wabash River), most of present Wisconsin, parts of present Minnesota and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and a small area of present Indiana along the Wabash River. A small remnant of Indiana Territory remained in the eastern portion of present Wisconsin. ST. CLAIR (Ill.) became a county in Illinois Territory and continued to function de facto with no new boundaries specified. Map depicts non-county area in Illinois Territory located in present Wisconsin. (U.S. Stat., vol. 2, ch. 13 [1809], sec. 1/pp. 514-515)
28 April 1809
ST. CLAIR (Ill.) created by Illinois Territory (effectively continuing the county of the same name that had been created by the Northwest Territory in 1790). ST. CLAIR (Ill.) exchanged with Indiana Territory (gaining the non-county area along the west side of Lake Michigan now in Illinois Territory); included the eastern part of present Wisconsin. ST. CLAIR (Ill.) also lost to RANDOLPH (Ill.). (Ill. Terr. Recs., 3-4; Terr. Papers U.S., 17:620-621)
14 September 1812
MADISON (Ill.) created by Illinois Territory from RANDOLPH (Ill.) and ST. CLAIR (Ill.); MADISON (Ill.) included most of present Wisconsin. ST. CLAIR (Ill.) eliminated from present Wisconsin. (Ill. Terr. Recs., 26; Terr. Papers U.S., 17:643)
28 November 1814
EDWARDS (Ill.) created by Illinois Territory from GALLATIN (Ill.) and MADISON (Ill.); included part of present Wisconsin. (Ill. Terr. Laws, 128-130)
11 December 1816
The United States created the state of Indiana from Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan Territories; that part of Indiana Territory in present Wisconsin became unorganized federal territory. EDWARDS (Ill.) exchanged with the state of Indiana; area within present Wisconsin was unchanged. (U.S. Stat., vol. 3, ch. 57 [1816], secs. 1-2/pp. 289-291, and res. 1 [1816], p. 399; Van Zandt, 115)
31 December 1816
CRAWFORD (Ill.) created by Illinois Territory from EDWARDS (Ill.); CRAWFORD (Ill.) included part of present Wisconsin. EDWARDS (Ill.) eliminated from present Wisconsin. (Ill. Terr. Laws, 247-249)
4 January 1817
BOND (Ill.) created by Illinois Territory from MADISON (Ill.); included part of present Wisconsin. (Ill. Terr. Laws, 254-256)
3 December 1818
Michigan Territory expanded to include all of present Wisconsin and part of present Minnesota when the state of Illinois was created from Illinois Territory. Michigan Territory gained the remainder of the former Illinois Territory and the unorganized federal territory along Lake Michigan that had been part of Indiana Territory prior to 1816. BOND (Ill.), CRAWFORD (Ill.), and MADISON (Ill.) eliminated from present Wisconsin. (Terr. Papers U.S., 10:803; U.S. Stat., vol. 3, ch. 67 [1818], sec. 7/p. 431, and res. 1 [1818]/p. 536)
BROWN created by Michigan Territory from non-county area in present Michigan and Wisconsin. CRAWFORD created by Michigan Territory from non-county area in present Minnesota and Wisconsin. (Terr. Papers U.S., 10:803-804)
MICHILIMACKINAC (now MACKINAC, Mich.) created by Michigan Territory from WAYNE (Mich.), non-county area in Michigan Territory, unorganized federal territory, and former parts of BOND (Ill.), CRAWFORD (Ill.), and MADISON (Ill.). Included parts of present Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. (Terr. Papers U.S., 10:802)
13 April 1821
Part of MICHILIMACKINAC (now MACKINAC, Mich.) became non-county area in present Michigan; area within present Wisconsin was unchanged. (Terr. Papers U.S., 11:132)
10 September 1822
MICHILIMACKINAC (now MACKINAC, Mich.) lost territory acquired from the Indians by the 1821 Treaty at Chicago; area within present Wisconsin was unchanged. (Terr. Papers U.S., 11:308-313)
1 February 1827
CHIPPEWA (Mich.) created by Michigan Territory from MICHILIMACKINAC (now MACKINAC, Mich.); included parts of present Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. (Mich. Terr. Laws, 2:295-296)
1 January 1830
IOWA created by Michigan Territory from CRAWFORD. (Mich. Terr. Laws, 2:714-715)
2 March 1831
MICHILIMACKINAC (now MACKINAC, Mich.) lost to creation of IONIA (Mich.), ISABELLA (Mich.), KENT (Mich.), MONTCALM (Mich.), OCEANA (Mich.), and OTTAWA (Mich.). MICHILIMACKINAC's area within present Wisconsin was unchanged. (Mich. Terr. Laws, 3:871-873)
28 June 1834
Michigan Territory gained unorganized federal territory west of the Mississippi River, north of the state of Missouri, and east of the Missouri and White Earth Rivers, including all of present Iowa and parts of present Minnesota and North and South Dakota. (Terr. Papers U.S., 12:778-779; U.S. Stat., vol. 4, ch. 98 [1834]/p. 701)
6 September 1834
MILWAUKEE created by Michigan Territory from BROWN and IOWA; MILWAUKEE not fully organized, attached to BROWN "for judicial purposes." BROWN exchanged with CRAWFORD. (Mich. Terr. Laws, 3:1325)
7 September 1835
MILWAUKEE fully organized, detached from BROWN. (Mich. Terr. Laws, 4:136-137)
3 July 1836
The United States created Wisconsin Territory from Michigan Territory; included all of present Wisconsin, Iowa, and Minnesota; and parts of present North and South Dakota. BROWN, CRAWFORD, IOWA, and MILWAUKEE became counties in Wisconsin Territory. BROWN exchanged with Michigan Territory; CRAWFORD lost small area to Michigan Territory. DES MOINES (Iowa) and DUBUQUE (Iowa) became counties in Wisconsin Territory; DES MOINES and DUBUQUE were created by Michigan Territory on 1 October 1834. That portion of present Wisconsin and Minnesota that had been in CHIPPEWA (Mich.) and MICHILIMACKINAC (now MACKINAC, Mich.) became Non-County Area 1; CHIPPEWA (Mich.) and MICHILIMACKINAC (now MACKINAC, Mich.) eliminated from present Wisconsin. (Terr. Papers U.S., 27:41-52; U.S. Stat., vol. 5, ch. 54 [1836]/pp. 10-16)
7 December 1836
Wisconsin Territorial legislature passed two acts creating 19 new counties.
CALUMET created by Wisconsin Territory from BROWN; CALUMET not fully organized, attached to BROWN "for judicial purposes." (Wis. Terr. Laws 1836, no. 28, secs. 10, 14/p. 94)
COOK (Iowa, extinct) created by Wisconsin Territory from DES MOINES (Iowa); COOK not fully organized, attached to MUSCATINE (Iowa) "for all judicial purposes." (Wis. Terr. Laws 1836, no. 21, secs. 7, 9/pp. 77-78)
DANE created by Wisconsin Territory from CRAWFORD, IOWA, and MILWAUKEE; DANE not fully organized, attached to IOWA "for judicial purposes." (Wis. Terr. Laws 1836, no. 28, secs. 4, 14/pp. 93-94)
DODGE created by Wisconsin Territory from BROWN and MILWAUKEE; DODGE overlapped the eastern part of PORTAGE (Overlap Area 1), creating a dispute that was not settled until 12 January 1838. DODGE not fully organized, attached to MILWAUKEE "for judicial purposes." (Wis. Terr. Laws 1836, no. 28, secs. 6, 14/pp. 93-94)
FOND DU LAC created by Wisconsin Territory from BROWN; FOND DU LAC overlapped the eastern part of MARQUETTE (Overlap Area 2), creating a dispute that was not settled until 6 March 1848. FOND DU LAC not fully organized, attached to BROWN "for judicial purposes." (Wis. Terr. Laws 1836, no. 28, secs. 9, 14/pp. 93-94)
HENRY (Iowa) created by Wisconsin Territory from DES MOINES (Iowa). (Wis. Terr. Laws 1836, no. 21, sec. 4/pp. 76-78)
JEFFERSON created by Wisconsin Territory from MILWAUKEE; JEFFERSON not fully organized, attached to MILWAUKEE "for judicial purposes." (Wis. Terr. Laws 1836, no. 28, secs. 3, 14/pp. 93-94)
LEE (Iowa) created by Wisconsin Territory from DES MOINES (Iowa). (Wis. Terr. Laws 1836, no. 21, sec. 1/pp. 76-78)
LOUISA (Iowa) created by Wisconsin Territory from DES MOINES (Iowa). (Wis. Terr. Laws 1836, no. 21, sec. 5/pp. 77-78)
MANITOWOC created by Wisconsin Territory from BROWN; MANITOWOC not fully organized, attached to BROWN "for judicial purposes." (Wis. Terr. Laws 1836, no. 28, secs. 11, 14/p. 94)
MARQUETTE created by Wisconsin Territory from BROWN. MARQUETTE overlapped the western part of FOND DU LAC (Overlap Area 2), creating a dispute that was not settled until 6 March 1848. MARQUETTE not fully organized, attached to BROWN "for judicial purposes." (Wis. Terr. Laws 1836, no. 28, secs. 12, 14/p. 94)
MUSCATINE (Iowa) created by Wisconsin Territory from DES MOINES (Iowa). (Wis. Terr. Laws 1836, no. 21, sec. 6/pp. 77-78)
PORTAGE created by Wisconsin Territory from BROWN, CRAWFORD, IOWA, and MILWAUKEE. PORTAGE overlapped the western part of DODGE, creating a dispute (Overlap Area 1) that was not settled until 12 January 1838. PORTAGE not fully organized, attached to BROWN "for judicial purposes." (Wis. Terr. Laws 1836, no. 28, secs. 5, 14/pp. 93-94)
RACINE created by Wisconsin Territory from MILWAUKEE. (Wis. Terr. Laws 1836, no. 28, sec. 2/p. 92)
ROCK created by Wisconsin Territory from MILWAUKEE; ROCK not fully organized, attached to RACINE "for judicial purposes." (Wis. Terr. Laws 1836, no. 28, secs. 2, 13/pp. 92, 94)
SHEBOYGAN created by Wisconsin Territory from BROWN; SHEBOYGAN not fully organized, attached to BROWN "for judicial purposes." (Wis. Terr. Laws 1836, no. 28, secs. 8, 14/pp. 93-94)
VAN BUREN (Iowa) created by Wisconsin Territory from DES MOINES (Iowa). (Wis. Terr. Laws 1836, no. 21, sec. 2/pp. 76-78)
WALWORTH created by Wisconsin Territory from MILWAUKEE; WALWORTH not fully organized, attached to RACINE "for judicial purposes." (Wis. Terr. Laws 1836, no. 28, secs. 1-2/p. 92)
WASHINGTON created by Wisconsin Territory from BROWN and MILWAUKEE; WASHINGTON not fully organized, attached to MILWAUKEE "for judicial purposes." (Wis. Terr. Laws 1836, no. 28, secs. 7, 14/pp. 93-94)
Non-County Area 2 created in Wisconsin Territory from MILWAUKEE. Non-County Area 3 (southern end of Lake Winnebago) and Non-County Area 4 created in Wisconsin Territory from BROWN. (Wis. Terr. Laws 1836, no. 28/pp. 92-94)
Non-County Area 5 created in Wisconsin Territory from DES MOINES (Iowa). Non-County Area 5 was located entirely within present Iowa. (Wis. Terr. Laws 1836, no. 21, secs. 7, 9/pp. 77-78)
4 March 1837
GRANT created by Wisconsin Territory from IOWA. GREEN created by Wisconsin Territory from IOWA and Non-County Area 2. (Wis. Terr. Laws 1836, no. 31/pp. 97-99)
21 December 1837
Wisconsin Territorial legislature passed a single act creating 13 new counties west of the Mississippi.
BENTON (Iowa) created by Wisconsin Territory from DUBUQUE (Iowa); BENTON not fully organized, attached to JACKSON (Iowa) "for temporary purposes." (Wis. Terr. Laws 1837, no. 6, secs. 10-11/p. 135)
BUCHANAN (Iowa) created by Wisconsin Territory from DUBUQUE (Iowa); BUCHANAN not fully organized, attached to DUBUQUE "for temporary purposes." (Wis. Terr. Laws 1837, no. 6, secs. 5-6/p. 134)
CEDAR (Iowa) created by Wisconsin Territory from DUBUQUE (Iowa). (Wis. Terr. Laws 1837, no. 6, sec. 13/p. 135)
CLAYTON (Iowa) created by Wisconsin Territory from DUBUQUE (Iowa). (Wis. Terr. Laws 1837, no. 6, sec. 1/p. 133)
CLINTON (Iowa) created by Wisconsin Territory from DUBUQUE (Iowa); CLINTON not fully organized, attached to SCOTT (Iowa) "until otherwise directed by law." (Wis. Terr. Laws 1837, no. 6, secs. 12, 21/pp. 135, 137)
DELAWARE (Iowa) created by Wisconsin Territory from DUBUQUE (Iowa); DELAWARE not fully organized, attached to DUBUQUE "for temporary purposes." (Wis. Terr. Laws 1837, no. 6, secs. 4, 6/pp. 135- 137)
FAYETTE (Iowa) created by Wisconsin Territory from DUBUQUE (Iowa); FAYETTE included territory in present Iowa, Minnesota, and North and South Dakota. FAYETTE not fully organized, attached to CLAYTON (Iowa) "for temporary purposes." (Wis. Terr. Laws 1837, no. 6, sec. 2/p. 133)
JACKSON (Iowa) created by Wisconsin Territory from DUBUQUE (Iowa). (Wis. Terr. Laws 1837, no. 6, sec. 7/p. 134)
JOHNSON (Iowa) created by Wisconsin Territory from COOK (Iowa, extinct), DUBUQUE (Iowa), MUSCATINE (Iowa), and Non-County Area 5; JOHNSON not fully organized, attached to CEDAR (Iowa) "for temporary purposes." (Wis. Terr. Laws 1837, no. 6, secs. 14, 16/pp. 135-136)
JONES (Iowa) created by Wisconsin Territory from DUBUQUE (Iowa); JONES not fully organized, attached to JACKSON (Iowa) "for temporary purposes." (Wis. Terr. Laws 1837, no. 6, secs. 8, 11/pp. 134-135)
KEOKUK (Iowa) created by Wisconsin Territory from DUBUQUE (Iowa) and Non-County Area 5; KEOKUK not fully organized, attached to CEDAR (Iowa) "for temporary purposes." (Wis. Terr. Laws 1837, no. 6, secs. 15-16/p. 136)
LINN (Iowa) created by Wisconsin Territory from DUBUQUE (Iowa); LINN not fully organized, attached to JACKSON (Iowa) "for temporary purposes." (Wis. Terr. Laws 1837, no. 6, secs. 9, 11/pp. 134-135)
SCOTT (Iowa) created by Wisconsin Territory from COOK (Iowa, extinct), DUBUQUE (Iowa), and MUSCATINE (Iowa). (Wis. Terr. Laws 1837, no. 6, secs. 17-19/pp. 136-137)
Non-County Area 6 created in Wisconsin Territory from DUBUQUE (Iowa). Non-County Area 6 was located entirely within present Iowa. (Wis. Terr. Laws 1837, no. 6/pp. 133-137)
12 January 1838
PORTAGE gained from CRAWFORD. DODGE gained undisputed control of Overlap Area 1 from PORTAGE, ending a dispute dating from 7 December 1836; Overlap Area 1 eliminated. (Wis. Terr. Laws 1837, no. 39, sec. 1/pp. 217-218)
18 January 1838
Wisconsin territorial legislature passed a single act revising the boundaries of counties west of the Mississippi River.
DES MOINES (Iowa) gained from LOUISA (Iowa), exchanged with HENRY (Iowa) and LEE (Iowa). (Wis. Terr. Laws 1837, no. 67, secs. 1-7/pp. 381-384)
HENRY (Iowa) gained from LOUISA (Iowa), exchanged with DES MOINES (Iowa), lost to creation of SLAUGHTER (now WASHINGTON, Iowa) and Non-County Area 8, and lost to LEE (Iowa) and VAN BUREN (Iowa). (Wis. Terr. Laws 1837, no. 67, secs. 1-7/pp. 381-384)
MUSCATINE (Iowa) gained all of COOK (Iowa, extinct) and all of Non-County Area 6, lost to LOUISA (Iowa) and lost to creation of SLAUGHTER (now WASHINGTON, Iowa); COOK and Non-County Area 6 eliminated. (Wis. Terr. Laws 1837, no. 67, secs. 1-7/pp. 381-384)
SLAUGHTER (now WASHINGTON, Iowa) created by Wisconsin Territory from HENRY (Iowa), LOUISA (Iowa), MUSCATINE (Iowa), and Non-County Area 5. (Wis. Terr. Laws 1837, no. 67, secs. 1-7/pp. 381-384)
VAN BUREN (Iowa) gained from HENRY (Iowa) and Non-County Area 5, lost to creation of Non-County Area 9. (Wis. Terr. Laws 1837, no. 67, secs. 1-7/pp. 381-384)
Non-County Area 7 created in Wisconsin Territory from Non-County Area 5; Non-County Area 7 attached to SLAUGHTER (now WASHINGTON, Iowa) "for judicial purposes." Non-County Area 7 was located entirely within present Iowa. (Wis. Terr. Laws 1837, no. 67, secs. 1-7/pp. 381-384)
Non-County Area 8 created in Wisconsin Territory from HENRY (Iowa) and Non-County Area 5; Non-County Area 8 attached to HENRY (Iowa) "for judicial purposes." Non-County Area 8 was located entirely within present Iowa. (Wis. Terr. Laws 1837, no. 67, secs. 1-7/pp. 381-384)
Non-County Area 9 created in Wisconsin Territory from VAN BUREN (Iowa) and Non-County Area 5; Non-County Area 9 was located entirely within present Iowa. (Wis. Terr. Laws 1837, no. 67, secs. 1-7/pp. 381-384)
19 January 1838
Non-County Area 1 in northern Wisconsin Territory was attached to CRAWFORD "for all judicial purposes." (Kellogg, "Organization," 187; Wis. Terr. Laws 1837, no. 104, sec. 1/p. 517)
21 June 1838
ROCK gained all of Non-County Area 2; Non-County Area 2 eliminated. (Wis. Terr. Laws 1838, spec. sess., no. 5, sec. 1/p. 539)
22 June 1838
Non-County Area 9 attached to VAN BUREN (Iowa) "for judicial purposes." (Wis. Terr. Laws 1838, spec. sess., no. 7, sec. 5/p. 541)
3 July 1838
The United States created Iowa Territory from Wisconsin Territory, encompassing all of Wisconsin Territory west of the Mississippi River. All Wisconsin Territory counties west of the Mississippi River became Iowa Territory counties and were eliminated from Wisconsin Territory: BENTON, BUCHANAN, CEDAR, CLAYTON, CLINTON, DELAWARE, DES MOINES, DUBUQUE, FAYETTE, HENRY, JACKSON, JOHNSON, JONES, KEOKUK, LEE, LINN, LOUISA, MUSCATINE, SCOTT, SLAUGHTER (now WASHINGTON), and VAN BUREN. Non-County Areas 7, 8, and 9 became part of Iowa Territory. (U.S. Stat., vol. 5, ch. 96 [1838]/pp. 235-241)
1 January 1839
WALWORTH fully organized, detached from RACINE. (Wis. Terr. Laws 1837, no. 62, secs. 1-2/p. 368; Wis. Terr. Laws 1838-1839, loc. acts, no. 1, sec. 2/p. 3)
13 February 1839
ROCK fully organized, detached from RACINE. (Wis. Terr. Laws 1838-1839, loc. acts, no. 22, secs. 1, 4/pp. 25-26)
28 February 1839
JEFFERSON fully organized, detached from MILWAUKEE. (Wis. Terr. Laws 1838-1839, loc. acts, no. 35, sec. 1/p. 63)
4 March 1839
MANITOWOC and SHEBOYGAN organized "for all the purposes of county government;" MANITOWOC and SHEBOYGAN remained attached to BROWN "for judicial purposes." (Wis. Terr. Laws 1838-1839, loc. acts, no. 5, secs. 1, 4, 5/pp. 9-10)
1 April 1839
FOND DU LAC organized "for the purposes of county government;" FOND DU LAC remained attached to BROWN "for judicial purposes." (Wis. Terr. Laws 1838-1839, loc. acts, no. 56, secs. 5-6/p. 129)
6 May 1839
DANE fully organized, detached from IOWA. (Wis. Terr. Laws 1838-1839, loc. acts, no. 56, secs. 1-2, 9/pp. 128-130)
6 January 1840
FOND DU LAC gained from CALUMET. (Wis. Terr. Laws 1839-1840, no. 12, sec. 2/p. 18)
WINNEBAGO created by Wisconsin Territory from BROWN, CALUMET, FOND DU LAC, and the northern part of Overlap Area 2 jointly claimed by FOND DU LAC and MARQUETTE; WINNEBAGO not fully organized, attached to BROWN "for judicial purposes." (Wis. Terr. Laws 1839-1840, no. 12, secs. 8-10/pp. 19-20; Wis. Terr. Laws 1841-1842, p. 74)
11 January 1840
SAUK created by Wisconsin Territory from CRAWFORD, DANE, and PORTAGE; SAUK not fully organized, attached to DANE "for all county and judicial purposes." (Wis. Terr. Laws 1839-1840, no. 23, secs. 1-3/p. 32)
13 January 1840
DODGE organized "for all purposes of county government;" DODGE detached from MILWAUKEE, attached to JEFFERSON "for judicial purposes." (Wis. Terr. Laws 1839-1840, no. 42, secs. 1, 5-6/pp. 50-51)
2 March 1840
CALUMET organized "for all purposes of county government;" CALUMET remained attached to BROWN "for judicial purposes." (Wis. Terr. Laws 1839-1840, no. 12, secs. 1-7/pp. 18-20)
3 August 1840
ST. CROIX created by Wisconsin Territory from CRAWFORD and Non-County Area 1 attached to CRAWFORD; ST. CROIX included territory in present Wisconsin and Minnesota. (Wis. Terr. Laws 1839-1840, no. 20, sec. 1/pp. 25-26)
1 September 1840
CALUMET's 2 March 1840 organization for county purposes was repealed; CALUMET re-attached to BROWN for all county and judicial purposes. (Wis. Terr. Laws 1840, spec. sess., ch. 40, secs. 13-17/pp. 78-79)
28 September 1840
WASHINGTON organized "for county purposes;" WASHINGTON remained attached to MILWAUKEE "for all judicial purposes." (Wis. Terr. Laws 1840, spec. sess., ch. 40, secs. 1-2/pp. 76-77)
15 January 1841
Boundaries of counties on Lake Michigan and the Mississippi River were extended over water to the legal boundaries of Wisconsin Territory [not mapped]. (Wis. Terr. Laws 1840-1841, no. 39, secs. 1-2/p. 76)
18 February 1841
BROWN gained from CRAWFORD and MARQUETTE. PORTAGE gained from BROWN, CRAWFORD, MARQUETTE, ST. CROIX, and Non-County Area 1 attached to CRAWFORD. PORTAGE detached from BROWN, attached to DANE "for judicial purposes." ST. CROIX gained small part of Non-County Area 1; Non-County Area 1 eliminated. (Wis. Terr. Laws 1840-1841, no. 38, secs. 1-3, 12/pp. 73-75)
22 March 1841
PORTAGE organized "for all purposes of county government;" PORTAGE remained attached to DANE "for judicial purposes." (Wis. Terr. Laws 1840-1841, no. 38, secs. 2-3/p. 74)
18 February 1842
RICHLAND created by Wisconsin Territory from CRAWFORD and SAUK; RICHLAND not fully organized, attached to IOWA "for all county and judicial purposes." (Wis. Terr. Laws 1841-1842, p. 42)
4 April 1842
CALUMET's organization "for all purposes of county government" was reenacted; CALUMET remained attached to BROWN "for judicial purposes." WINNEBAGO organized "for all purposes of county government;" WINNEBAGO remained attached to BROWN "for judicial purposes." (Wis. Terr. Laws 1841-1842, p. 74)
10 April 1843
ST. CROIX attached to CRAWFORD "for judicial purposes." (Wis. Terr. Laws 1842-1843, pp. 56-57)
1 March 1844
DODGE fully organized, detached from JEFFERSON. (Wis. Terr. Laws 1843-1844, pp. 11-13)
4 March 1844
FOND DU LAC gained from CALUMET, WINNEBAGO, and gained all of Non-County Area 3; Non-County Area 3 eliminated. FOND DU LAC fully organized, detached from BROWN. CALUMET detached from BROWN, attached to FOND DU LAC "for judicial purposes." MARQUETTE organized "for county purposes;" MARQUETTE detached from BROWN, attached to FOND DU LAC "for judicial purposes." (Wis. Terr. Laws 1843-1844, pp. 8-11)
11 March 1844
SAUK fully organized, detached from DANE. (Wis. Terr. Laws 1843-1844, pp. 26-27)
12 April 1844
WINNEBAGO detached from BROWN, attached to FOND DU LAC "for judicial purposes." (Harney, 120-121; Wis. Terr. Laws 1843-1844, pp. 10-11)
23 September 1844
PORTAGE fully organized, detached from DANE. (Wis. Terr. Laws 1843-1844, p. 4)
3 February 1845
CHIPPEWA created by Wisconsin Territory from CRAWFORD; CHIPPEWA not fully organized, attached to CRAWFORD "for judicial purposes." (Wis. Terr. Laws 1845, p. 35)
19 February 1845
LA POINTE (now BAYFIELD) created by Wisconsin Territory from ST. CROIX; LA POINTE included territory in present Wisconsin and Minnesota. LA POINTE not fully organized, attached to CRAWFORD "for judicial purposes." (Wis. Terr. Laws 1845, pp. 52-53)
8 April 1845
WASHINGTON fully organized, detached from MILWAUKEE. (Wis. Terr. Laws 1845, pp. 32-33)
22 September 1845
CHIPPEWA organized "for all purposes of county government;" CHIPPEWA remained attached to CRAWFORD "for judicial purposes." (Wis. Terr. Laws 1845, p. 35)
14 January 1846
CHIPPEWA gained from CRAWFORD. (Wis. Terr. Laws 1846, p. 38)
31 January 1846
Legislature authorized creation of LAFAYETTE and MONTGOMERY (proposed) from IOWA, dependent upon local referenda and legislative implementation. LAFAYETTE was created 1 May 1847; MONTGOMERY referendum passed, but legislative implementation did not, and the creation of MONTGOMERY did not take place. (Kellogg, "Organization," 189; Wis. Terr. Laws 1846, pp. 41-43)
2 February 1846
Legislature authorized creation of a new, unnamed county from DODGE and JEFFERSON, dependent on local referendum that failed; county was never created. (HRS Wis., Origin, 99; Wis. Terr. Laws 1846, pp. 48-49)
9 April 1846
WAUKESHA created by Wisconsin Territory from MILWAUKEE. (History of Waukesha, 358-359; Milwaukee Sentinel, 9 Apr. 1846; Wis. Terr. Laws 1846, pp. 22-23)
1 May 1846
COLUMBIA created by Wisconsin Territory from PORTAGE. (Wis. Terr. Laws 1846, pp. 76-77)
SHEBOYGAN fully organized, detached from BROWN. (Wis. Terr. Laws 1846, pp. 74-75)
1 May 1847
LAFAYETTE created by Wisconsin Territory from IOWA. (Kellogg, "Organization," 201-202; Wis. Terr. Laws 1846, pp. 41-43; Wis. Terr. Laws 1847, reg. sess., pp. 57-63)
1 January 1848
WINNEBAGO fully organized, detached from FOND DU LAC. (Harney, 121; Wis. Terr. Laws 1847, reg. sess., p. 96)
6 March 1848
FOND DU LAC gained from CALUMET and gained all of Non-County Area 4, lost to WINNEBAGO. FOND DU LAC also gained undisputed jurisdiction of the overlap area between FOND DU LAC and MARQUETTE (Overlap Area 2), ending dispute dating from 7 December 1836. Non-County Area 4 and Overlap Area 2 eliminated. (Wis. Terr. Laws 1848, pp. 79-80)
11 March 1848
ADAMS created by Wisconsin Territory from PORTAGE; ADAMS not fully organized, attached to SAUK "for all purposes." (Wis. Terr. Laws 1848, pp. 168-169)
11 April 1848
MANITOWOC fully organized, detached from BROWN. (Wis. Terr. Laws 1848, pp. 47-48)
29 May 1848
The state of Wisconsin was created from Wisconsin Territory. The area in present Minnesota between the Mississippi River and the state of Wisconsin continued as de facto Wisconsin Territory until the creation of Minnesota Territory on 3 March 1849. ADAMS, BROWN, CALUMET, CHIPPEWA, COLUMBIA, CRAWFORD, DANE, DODGE, FOND DU LAC, GRANT, GREEN, IOWA, JEFFERSON, LAFAYETTE, LA POINTE (now BAYFIELD), MANITOWOC, MARQUETTE, MILWAUKEE, PORTAGE, RACINE, RICHLAND, ROCK, ST. CROIX, SAUK, SHEBOYGAN, WALWORTH, WASHINGTON, WAUKESHA, and WINNEBAGO became counties in the state of Wisconsin. LA POINTE and ST. CROIX lost territory when the state of Wisconsin was created; LA POINTE and ST.CROIX eliminated from present Minnesota. (U.S. Stat., vol. 9, ch. 89 [1846]/pp. 56-58, and ch. 50 [1848]/pp. 233-235; Van Zandt, 128-130)
4 September 1848
MARQUETTE fully organized, detached from FOND DU LAC. (Wis. Laws 1848, p. 43)
3 March 1849
The United States created Minnesota Territory from de facto Wisconsin Territory and unorganized federal territory lying north of Iowa; de facto Wisconsin Territory eliminated. (Van Zandt, 130, 133)
6 March 1849
MARQUETTE gained from BROWN and PORTAGE. (Wis. Laws 1849, ch. 73, sec. 1/p. 44)
8 March 1849
ADAMS gained from PORTAGE, lost to SAUK. CHIPPEWA exchanged with LA POINTE (now BAYFIELD) and ST. CROIX. COLUMBIA gained from PORTAGE. ST. CROIX gained from LA POINTE (now BAYFIELD). Overlap Area 3 was created when ST. CROIX and LA POINTE (now BAYFIELD) were both given jurisdiction over the same area; the dispute was not settled until 1 January 1850. Non-County Area 10 created from ADAMS and PORTAGE. (Wis. Laws 1849, ch. 77, secs. 1-6/pp. 47-48)
WINNEBAGO gained from BROWN. (Wis. Laws 1849, ch. 79, secs. 1-2/p. 49; Wis. Rev. Stat., 1849, ch. 2, secs. 3, 30/pp. 51, 57-58)
1 April 1849
ST. CROIX fully organized, detached from CRAWFORD; LA POINTE (now BAYFIELD) detached from CRAWFORD, attached to ST. CROIX "for judicial purposes." (Wis. Laws 1849, ch. 53, secs. 1, 3/p. 31; Wis. Laws 1847, pp. 147-148)
1 January 1850
ADAMS and SAUK gained all of Non-County Area 10; Non-County Area 10 eliminated. LA POINTE (now BAYFIELD) gained undisputed jurisdiction of Overlap Area 3, ending a dispute with ST. CROIX dating from 8 March 1849; Overlap Area 3 eliminated. (Wis. Rev. Stat. 1849, ch. 2, secs. 2, 24, 26/pp. 51, 56-57 and ch. 157, sec. 1/p. 747)
30 January 1850
KENOSHA created from RACINE. (Wis. Laws 1850, ch. 39, secs. 1-2, 12/pp. 25-27)
8 February 1850
Legislature authorized creation of TUSKOLA (proposed) from WASHINGTON, dependent on local referendum that failed; creation never took effect. (Kellogg, "Organization," 193; Wis. Laws 1850, ch. 114, secs. 4-5, 14-15/pp. 75-78)
9 February 1850
MANITOWOC gained from BROWN. (Wis. Laws 1850, ch. 166, secs. 1-2/p. 138)
16 February 1850
MARATHON created from PORTAGE. (Wis. Laws 1850, ch. 226, secs. 1-2, 14/pp. 180-181)
1 April 1850
CALUMET fully organized, detached from FOND DU LAC. (Wis. Laws 1850, ch. 84, secs. 1-2, 11/pp. 52-53; Wis. Laws 1852, ch. 278, sec. 1/p. 423)
1 May 1850
RICHLAND fully organized, detached from IOWA. (Wis. Laws 1850, ch. 92, secs. 1-3/p. 60)
1 July 1850
LA POINTE (now BAYFIELD) fully organized, detached from ST. CROIX. (Wis. Laws 1850, ch. 156, secs. 1-2/p. 126)
6 February 1851
OCONTO created from BROWN; OCONTO not fully organized, attached to BROWN "for all judicial purposes." (Wis. Laws 1851, ch. 44, sec. 1/pp. 31-32)
11 February 1851
DOOR created from BROWN; DOOR not fully organized, attached to MANITOWOC "for judicial purposes." (Wis. Laws 1851, ch. 66, sec. 1/p. 50)
15 February 1851
WAUSHARA created from MARQUETTE; WAUSHARA not fully organized, attached to MARQUETTE "for judicial purposes." (Wis. Laws 1851, ch. 77, secs. 1, 5/pp. 56-57)
17 February 1851
OUTAGAMIE created from BROWN and WINNEBAGO; OUTAGAMIE not fully organized, attached to BROWN "for judicial purposes." (Wis. Laws 1851, ch. 83/pp. 60-61)
WAUPACA created from BROWN and WINNEBAGO; WAUPACA not fully organized, attached to WINNEBAGO "for judicial purposes." (Wis. Laws 1851, ch. 78/p. 57)
27 February 1851
PORTAGE gained from WINNEBAGO. (Wis. Laws 1851, ch. 114, sec. 1/pp. 96-97)
1 April 1851
OUTAGAMIE organized "for the purposes of county government;" OUTAGAMIE remained attached to BROWN "for judicial purposes." (Wis. Laws 1851, ch. 83, secs. 2, 6/pp. 60-61)
19 May 1851
BAD AX (now VERNON) and LA CROSSE created from CRAWFORD. CHIPPEWA detached from CRAWFORD, attached to LA CROSSE "for judicial purposes." (Wis. Laws 1851, chs. 131-132/pp. 105-108)
1 March 1852
WAUSHARA fully organized, detached from MARQUETTE. (Wis. Laws 1852, ch. 34, secs. 1, 4/p. 44)
4 March 1852
OUTAGAMIE boundaries were redefined [no change]. (Wis. Laws 1852, ch. 77, sec. 1/pp. 124-125)
16 April 1852
KEWAUNEE created from DOOR; KEWAUNEE not fully organized, attached to MANITOWOC "for judicial purposes." (Wis. Laws 1852, ch. 363, secs. 1-2/pp. 549-551)
1 June 1852
OUTAGAMIE fully organized, detached from BROWN. (Wis. Laws 1852, ch. 123, secs. 1-2, 5/pp. 210-211)
16 February 1853
SHAWANO created from OCONTO, WAUPACA, and WINNEBAGO; SHAWANO not fully organized, attached to OUTAGAMIE "for judicial purposes." (Wis. Laws 1853, gen., ch. 9, sec. 1/pp. 9-10)
1 March 1853
JACKSON created from LA CROSSE; JACKSON not fully organized, attached to LA CROSSE "for judicial purposes." (Wis. Laws 1853, gen., ch. 8, secs. 1-2, 6/pp. 7-9)
7 March 1853
OZAUKEE created from WASHINGTON. (Wis. Laws 1853, gen., ch. 21, secs. 1-2/pp. 18-21)
14 March 1853
ADAMS gained from SAUK. (Wis. Laws 1853, gen., ch. 29, sec. 1/p. 26)
PIERCE and POLK created from ST. CROIX; PIERCE and POLK not fully organized, attached to ST. CROIX "for judicial purposes." (Wis. Laws 1853, gen., ch. 31, secs. 1-2, 6/pp. 28-30)
1 April 1853
WAUPACA fully organized, detached from WINNEBAGO. (Wis. Laws 1853, gen., ch. 7, sec. 1/pp. 6-7)
5 April 1853
ADAMS fully organized, detached from SAUK. (Wis. Laws 1853, gen., ch. 30, secs. 1, 6/pp. 26-28)
6 July 1853
BUFFALO and CLARK created from JACKSON; BUFFALO and CLARK not fully organized, both attached to JACKSON "for judicial purposes." BUFFALO and CLARK were implicitly attached to LA CROSSE, through JACKSON, until 1 September 1853. (Wis. Laws 1853, gen., ch. 100, secs. 1-3/pp. 98-99)
1 September 1853
JACKSON fully organized, detached from LA CROSSE. BUFFALO and CLARK remained attached to JACKSON; implicit attachment of BUFFALO and CLARK to LA CROSSE ended. (Wis. Laws 1853, gen., ch. 8, secs. 1-2, 5-6/pp. 7-8)
8 November 1853
CHIPPEWA fully organized, detached from LA CROSSE. (Wis. Laws 1853, gen., ch. 49, secs. 1, 3, 7/pp. 48-49)
25 November 1853
PIERCE and POLK fully organized, detached from ST. CROIX. (Wis. Laws 1853, gen., ch. 31, secs. 1-2, 4-6/pp. 28-29)
1 January 1854
BUFFALO and CLARK fully organized, detached from JACKSON. (Wis. Laws 1853, gen., ch. 100, secs. 1-3/pp. 98-99)
24 January 1854
BUFFALO gained from CHIPPEWA. (Wis. Laws 1854, gen., ch. 1, secs. 1-2/p. 7)
27 January 1854
TREMPEALEAU created from BUFFALO, CHIPPEWA, JACKSON, and LA CROSSE; TREMPEALEAU not fully organized, attached to LA CROSSE "for judicial purposes." (Wis. Laws 1854, gen., ch. 2, secs. 1-3, 6, 8/pp. 8-9)
3 February 1854
DUNN created from CHIPPEWA; DUNN not fully organized, attached to CHIPPEWA "for judicial purposes." (Wis. Laws 1854, gen., ch. 7, secs. 1-2/pp. 12-13)
9 February 1854
DOUGLAS created from LA POINTE (now BAYFIELD); DOUGLAS not fully organized, attached to LA POINTE "for judicial purposes." (Wis. Laws 1854, gen., ch. 10, secs. 1-5/pp. 14-15)
27 February 1854
SHAWANO gained from OCONTO and WINNEBAGO. (Wis. Laws 1854, gen., ch. 23, secs. 1, 3-4/pp. 31-32)
21 March 1854
MONROE created from LA CROSSE; BUFFALO gained from LA CROSSE. (Wis. Laws 1854, gen., ch. 35, secs. 1-3/pp. 43-44)
1 June 1854
CLARK gained from CHIPPEWA and JACKSON; CLARK re-attached to JACKSON "for judicial purposes." JACKSON gained from CHIPPEWA. (Wis. Laws 1854, gen., ch. 100, secs. 1, 4, 6/pp. 143-144)
4 July 1854
OCONTO fully organized, detached from BROWN. (Wis. Laws 1854, gen., ch. 14, secs. 1, 7/pp. 21-22)
25 November 1854
DOUGLAS fully organized, detached from LA POINTE (now BAYFIELD). (Wis. Laws 1854, gen., ch. 10, sec. 5/p. 15)
1 January 1855
TREMPEALEAU fully organized, detached from LA CROSSE. (Wis. Laws 1854, gen., ch. 2, sec. 6/p. 9)
17 February 1855
OCONTO re-attached to BROWN "for judicial purposes." (Wis. Laws 1855, gen., ch. 11, sec. 2/p. 14)
26 March 1855
Legislature authorized WINNEBAGO to hold a referendum on retaining the five townships that were transferred from WINNEBAGO to PORTAGE on 27 February 1851 (townships 21-25 north, range 10 east). No explanation for this apparent oversight has been found, and there is no evidence that the referendum was held [no change; see also 26 April 1855]. (Wis. Laws 1855, gen., ch. 51, secs. 1-4/pp. 50-51)
26 April 1855
Legislature authorized WAUPACA to gain townships 21-25 in range 10 east that PORTAGE had acquired from WINNEBAGO on 27 February 1851, dependent upon local referendum. The referendum passed, but the change was never implemented [no change]. (Historical Atlas, 246; Wis. Laws 1855, gen., ch. 58, secs. 1-2, 4/p. 57)
1 May 1855
DOOR detached from MANITOWOC, attached to BROWN "for judicial purposes." (Wis. Laws 1855, priv. and loc., ch. 397, secs. 1, 7/pp. 597-598)
20 March 1856
Legislature authorized JEFFERSON to gain ranges 13-17 in township 9 north from DODGE, dependent upon a local referendum. Referendum was never held [no change]. (Abram Smith, 17-27; History of Dodge, 360; Swart, 22; Wis. Laws 1856, reg. sess., gen., ch. 27, secs. 1-2/pp. 30-31; Wis. Laws 1858, gen., ch. 90, secs. 1-2/p. 104)
28 March 1856
OCONTO and SHAWANO gained from WINNEBAGO. (Wis. Laws 1856, reg. sess., gen., ch. 45, secs. 1-4/p. 48)
29 March 1856
WOOD created from PORTAGE. Non-County Area 11 created from PORTAGE. (Wis. Laws 1856, reg. sess., gen., ch. 54, secs. 1-3, 10/pp. 64-66)
31 March 1856
BURNETT created from DOUGLAS and POLK; BURNETT not fully organized, attached to POLK "for judicial purposes." Non-County Area 12 created along the St. Croix River from DOUGLAS. (Wis. Laws 1856, reg. sess., gen., ch. 94, sec. 1/pp. 98-99)
25 September 1856
PORTAGE and WOOD gained all of Non-County Area 11; Non-County Area 11 eliminated. (Wis. Laws 1856, ext. sess., gen., ch. 108, secs. 1-2, 4, 9/pp. 110-111)
14 October 1856
LA CROSSE and MONROE gained from JACKSON. (Wis. Laws 1856, ext. sess., gen., ch. 145, secs. 1-3/p. 269)
1 January 1857
CLARK fully organized, detached from JACKSON. (Wis. Laws 1856, reg. sess., gen., ch. 96, secs. 1-2, 6/pp. 101-102)
DUNN fully organized, detached from CHIPPEWA. (Wis. Laws 1856, reg. sess., gen., ch. 91, secs. 1-2, 7/pp. 95-96)
JUNEAU created from ADAMS. (HRS Wis., Origin, 100; Wis. Laws 1855, gen., ch. 28, secs. 1-4/pp. 28-29; Wis. Laws 1856, ext. sess., gen., ch. 130, secs. 1-3, 7/pp. 233-234)
2 January 1857
EAU CLAIRE created from CHIPPEWA. (History of Northern Wisconsin, 295-296; Wis. Laws 1856, ext. sess., gen., ch. 114, secs. 1-3, 6/pp. 134-135)
24 February 1857
Boundary between BUFFALO and TREMPEALEAU was redefined [no change]. (Wis. Laws 1857, gen., ch. 16, secs. 1-2/pp. 21-22)
LA CROSSE gained from JACKSON. (Wis. Laws 1857, gen., ch. 17, secs. 1-2/p. 22)
3 March 1857
LA CROSSE gained from TREMPEALEAU, lost to JACKSON. (Wis. Laws 1857, gen., ch. 42, secs. 1-2/pp. 43-44)
20 April 1857
OCONTO fully organized, detached from BROWN. (Wis. Laws 1857, priv. and loc., ch. 309, secs. 1, 4/pp. 805-806)
4 March 1858
PEPIN created from DUNN. (Wis. Laws 1858, gen., ch. 15, secs. 1-2, 6/p. 14)
20 March 1858
Legislature authorized OUTAGAMIE to gain part of township 20 north, range 18 east from CALUMET, dependent upon local referendum that failed [no change]. (Appleton Crescent, 17 Apr. 1858; Wis. Laws 1858, gen., ch. 28, secs. 1-8/pp. 30-31)
17 May 1858
BURNETT gained all of Non-County Area 12; Non-County Area 12 eliminated. OCONTO gained from SHAWANO. (Wis. Rev. Stat. 1858, ch. 2, secs. 6, 35, 46/pp. 61, 68, 71)
8 June 1858
GREEN LAKE created from MARQUETTE. (HRS Wis., Origin, 127; Wis. Laws 1858, gen., ch. 17, secs. 1-2, 16/pp. 15-17, 20 and ch. 85, secs. 1-3, 10, 17/pp. 88-90, 94)
1 January 1859
KEWAUNEE fully organized, detached from MANITOWOC. (Wis. Laws 1858, gen., ch. 74, secs. 1-2, 7/pp. 76-77)
3 February 1859
WAUPACA gained from SHAWANO. (Wis. Laws 1859, gen., ch. 8, secs. 1-2/pp. 11-12)
11 March 1859
Legislature authorized GREEN LAKE to gain township 16 north, range 14 east [city of Ripon] from FOND DU LAC, dependent on local referendum that failed [no change]. (McKenna, I, 391; Wis. Laws 1859, gen., ch. 69, secs. 1-5/pp. 75-76)
SHAWANO gained from WAUPACA. (Wis. Laws 1859, gen., ch. 76, secs. 1-2/p. 79)
19 March 1859
DALLAS (now BARRON) created from POLK; DALLAS not fully organized, attached to POLK "for all purposes civil and judicial." (Wis. Laws 1859, gen., ch. 191, secs. 1-2, 4/pp. 214-215)
10 February 1860
DALLAS (now BARRON) detached from POLK, attached to DUNN "for all purposes civil and judicial." (Wis. Laws 1860, gen., ch. 33, secs. 1-2/p. 34)
15 March 1860
SHAWANO gained from OCONTO. (Wis. Laws 1860, gen., ch. 119, secs. 1-3, 6/p. 106)
MARATHON gained from OCONTO and SHAWANO. (Wis. Laws 1860, gen., ch. 120, secs. 1-2/p. 107)
19 March 1860
GREEN LAKE gained from MARQUETTE. The boundary was demarcated later in 1860 and although it deviates in two small places from the legal description, the demarcated line is the modern boundary. (Wis. Laws 1860, gen., ch. 143, secs. 1-2/pp. 126-127)
27 March 1860
WAUPACA gained from SHAWANO. (Wis. Laws 1860, gen., ch. 217, secs. 1-3/pp. 193-194)
29 March 1860
DALLAS (now BARRON) gained from CHIPPEWA. (Wis. Laws 1860, gen., ch. 235, secs. 1, 6/pp. 212-213)
5 June 1860
ASHLAND created from LA POINTE (now BAYFIELD). (Wis. Laws 1860, gen., ch. 211, secs. 1-3, 7/pp. 184-185)
1 January 1861
DOOR fully organized, detached from BROWN. (Wis. Laws 1860, gen., ch. 236, sec. 1/p. 212)
SHAWANO fully organized, detached from OUTAGAMIE. (Wis. Laws 1859, gen., ch. 68/pp. 74-75; Wis. Laws 1860, gen., ch. 251/pp. 226-227)
15 February 1862
Legislature authorized GREEN LAKE and MARQUETTE to exchange small areas, dependent on local referendum that failed [no change]. (HRS Wis., Origin, 127; Wis. Laws 1862, gen., ch. 23, secs. 1-2, 4-5/pp. 18-20)
1 May 1862
BAD AX renamed VERNON. (Wis. Laws 1862, gen., ch. 137, secs. 1-2/p. 79)
26 March 1863
POLK gained from DALLAS (now BARRON). (Wis. Laws 1862, gen., ch. 387, secs. 1-4/pp. 241-242; Wis. Laws 1863, gen., ch. 106, secs. 1-3/p. 136)
7 May 1864
BURNETT gained from CHIPPEWA, exchanged with DOUGLAS. (Wis. Laws 1864, gen., ch. 462, secs. 1-3/p. 519; ch. 466, secs. 1-3/p. 521; ch. 479, secs. 1-3/p. 534)
1 January 1865
BURNETT fully organized, detached from POLK. (Wis. Laws 1864, gen., ch. 74, secs. 1, 3, 6/pp. 84-85)
22 March 1865
Legislature authorized GREEN LAKE to gain parts of townships 14 and 15 in range 10 east from MARQUETTE, dependent on local referendum that failed [no change]. (Kellogg, "Organization," 196; Wis. Laws 1865, gen., ch. 191, secs. 1, 3-4/pp. 172-173)
11 April 1866
BURNETT gained from POLK. (Wis. Laws 1866, priv. and loc., ch. 466, secs. 1-2/p. 1103)
1 May 1866
LA POINTE gained from ASHLAND; LA POINTE renamed BAYFIELD. (Wis. Laws 1866, gen., ch. 146, secs. 1-3/p. 189)
25 May 1866
ASHLAND attached to BAYFIELD "for judicial purposes." (Wis. Laws 1866, priv. and loc., ch. 481, secs. 1, 6/pp. 1191-1192)
28 May 1866
BURNETT re-attached to POLK "for judicial purposes." (Wis. Laws 1866, priv. and loc., ch. 480, sec. 1/p. 1189; Wis. Laws 1867, gen., ch. 104, sec. 1/p. 96; Wis. Laws 1868, gen., ch. 40, sec. 1/p. 41; Wis. Laws 1869, gen., ch. 173, secs. 1-2/pp. 228-229)
16 March 1868
Legislature authorized PEPIN to gain township 26 north, ranges 11 and 12 west from DUNN, dependent on local referendum that failed [no change]. (HRS Wis., Pepin, 5; Wis. Laws 1868, gen., ch. 133, secs. 1-2, 4/pp. 147-148)
1 January 1869
DALLAS (now BARRON) fully organized, detached from DUNN. (Wis. Laws 1868, gen., ch. 55, secs. 1, 3, 6/pp. 54-55)
1 February 1869
DALLAS (now BARRON) re-attached to DUNN "for judicial purposes." (Wis. Laws 1868, gen., ch. 69, secs. 1, 8/pp. 70-72)
4 March 1869
DALLAS renamed BARRON. (Wis. Laws 1869, gen., ch. 75, secs. 1-2/p. 73)
11 March 1869
BAYFIELD gained from ASHLAND. (Wis. Laws 1869, gen., ch. 116, secs. 1-2/pp. 114-115)
23 March 1869
BURNETT gained from BARRON. (Wis. Laws 1869, gen., ch. 162, secs. 1-2/p. 217)
25 April 1870
WOOD gained from JACKSON. (Wis. Laws 1870, priv. and loc., ch. 40, secs. 1, 3/p. 94)
1 May 1870
JACKSON gained from WOOD. (Wis. Laws 1870, priv. and loc., ch. 41, secs. 1-2, 6/pp. 94-96)
1 April 1871
BURNETT fully organized, detached from POLK. (History of Northern Wisconsin, 171; Wis. Laws 1871, gen., ch. 83, secs. 1, 6/pp. 114-116)
8 March 1872
BARRON gained from BURNETT. (Wis. Laws 1872, priv. and loc., ch. 18, secs. 1-2/p. 88)
12 March 1872
WOOD gained from JACKSON. (Wis. Laws 1872, priv. and loc., ch. 33, secs. 1, 5/pp. 124-125)
1 August 1873
ASHLAND fully organized, detached from BAYFIELD. (Wis. Laws 1873, ch. 106, secs. 1-2/p. 210)
5 January 1874
BARRON fully organized, detached from DUNN. (Wis. Laws 1873, ch. 84, secs. 1-2/pp. 106-107)
11 March 1874
BURNETT gained from BARRON. (Wis. Laws 1874, ch. 248, secs. 1-2/pp. 575-576)
1 January 1875
LINCOLN created from MARATHON; LINCOLN not fully organized, attached to MARATHON "for all judicial purposes." (Wis. Laws 1874, ch. 128, secs. 1-2, 5/pp. 256-258)
9 March 1875
TAYLOR created from CHIPPEWA, CLARK, LINCOLN, and MARATHON. (Wis. Laws 1875, ch. 178, secs. 1-3, 11/pp. 297-300)
1 May 1875
LINCOLN fully organized, detached from MARATHON. (Wis. Laws 1875, ch. 60, secs. 1, 5/pp. 138-139)
3 March 1879
PRICE created from CHIPPEWA and LINCOLN; PRICE not fully organized, attached to TAYLOR "for all judicial purposes." (Wis. Laws 1879, ch. 103, secs. 1-3, 19/pp. 99-105)
MARINETTE created from OCONTO. NEW (now LANGLADE) created from OCONTO; mistake in description corrected 15 March 1880. NEW not fully organized, attached to SHAWANO "for all county and judicial purposes." OCONTO exchanged with SHAWANO. (Wis. Laws 1879, ch. 114, secs. 2-3, 12-13, 17/pp. 113-118)
20 February 1880
NEW renamed LANGLADE. (Wis. Laws 1880, ch. 19, secs. 1-2/p. 23)
15 March 1880
LANGLADE boundaries clarified to correct mistake of 3 March 1879 [no change]. (Wis. Laws 1880, ch. 247, p. 285)
19 February 1881
SHAWANO gained from OCONTO, exchanged with LANGLADE; LANGLADE fully organized, detached from SHAWANO. (Wis. Laws 1881, ch. 7, secs. 1-3, 8, 13/pp. 11, 13-14)
1 March 1882
PRICE fully organized, detached from TAYLOR. (Wis. Laws 1882, ch. 34, secs. 1, 6/p. 97)
1 April 1882
FLORENCE created from MARINETTE; creation included the part of OCONTO that was transferred to MARINETTE on this same day. (Wis. Laws 1882, ch. 165, secs. 1-3, 13/pp. 488-489, 491)
13 March 1883
SAWYER created from ASHLAND and CHIPPEWA; SAWYER not fully organized, attached to ASHLAND "for all judicial purposes." (Wis. Laws 1883, ch. 47, secs. 1-3, 15/pp. 41, 45)
15 March 1883
ASHLAND gained from LINCOLN. (Wis. Laws 1883, ch. 74, secs. 1, 8/pp. 60, 62)
7 April 1883
WASHBURN created from BURNETT. (Wis. Laws 1883, ch. 172, secs. 1-2, 11/pp. 138-141)
16 April 1883
MONROE gained from JACKSON. (Wis. Laws 1883, ch. 194, secs. 1, 3/p. 152)
17 April 1883
Legislature authorized LANGLADE to gain from SHAWANO, dependent on local referendum that was never held [no change]. (HRS Wis., Shawano, 4-5; Wis. Laws 1883, ch. 303, secs. 1, 6-7/pp. 251-252)
9 March 1885
SAWYER fully organized, detached from ASHLAND. (Wis. Laws 1885, ch. 38, sec. 1/p. 31)
27 March 1885
LANGLADE gained from SHAWANO (enacted change authorized on 17 April 1883 that never took effect). (Wis. Laws 1885, ch. 137, sec. 1/pp. 113-114)
14 April 1885
FOREST created from LANGLADE. LANGLADE gained from LINCOLN. (Wis. Laws 1885, ch. 436, secs. 1-3, 15/pp. 426-427, 430)
1 April 1886
FOREST gained from OCONTO. (Wis. Laws 1885, ch. 436, secs. 14-15/p. 430)
1 January 1887
ONEIDA created from LINCOLN. (Wis. Laws 1885, ch. 411, secs. 1-2, 12/pp. 394-395, 399)
3 March 1893
IRON created from ASHLAND. (Wis. Laws 1893, ch. 8, secs. 1-2, 12/pp. 11-12, 16)
15 April 1893
VILAS created from ONEIDA. IRON gained from ONEIDA. (Wis. Laws 1893, ch. 150, secs. 1-2, 12/pp. 175-177, 181)
2 May 1893
FOREST gained from ONEIDA. (Wis. Laws 1893, ch. 275, secs. 1, 4/pp. 368-369)
29 April 1897
VILAS gained from FOREST and ONEIDA; ONEIDA gained from FOREST. (Wis. Laws 1897, reg. sess., ch. 278, secs. 1-2, 13/pp. 547, 550)
24 May 1901
GATES (now RUSK) created from CHIPPEWA. (Wis. Laws 1901, ch. 469, secs. 1-2, 12/pp. 696-697, 701)
19 May 1903
ASHLAND and IRON boundaries clarified [no change]. (Wis. Laws 1903, ch. 303/pp. 474-475)
31 March 1905
ONEIDA gained from VILAS. (Wis. Laws 1905, reg. sess., ch. 57, secs. 1, 8/pp. 115-116)
16 May 1905
VILAS gained from FOREST. (Wis. Laws 1905, reg. sess., ch. 202, secs. 1, 8/pp. 291-292)
26 June 1905
GATES renamed RUSK. (Wis. Laws 1905, reg. sess., ch. 463, secs. 1-2/p. 797)
1 January 1909
Michigan implicitly overlapped IRON and VILAS (Overlap Area 4) when Michigan's new state constitution redefined the interstate boundary with Wisconsin across the Upper Peninsula; IRON and VILAS kept control of the disputed area. (Swindler, 5:249)
5 July 1911
CHIPPEWA, ONEIDA, and VILAS boundaries were clarified [no change]. (Wis. Laws 1911, ch. 538/pp. 652-654)
14 April 1913
FOREST and VILAS boundaries were clarified [no change]. (Wis. Laws 1913, ch. 65/pp. 71-73)
14 August 1913
LANGLADE and RUSK boundaries were clarified [no change]. (Wis. Laws 1913, ch. 773/pp. 1321-1322)
13 September 1918
BUFFALO lost Island Number 72 to Minnesota and LA CROSSE gained Baron's Island from Minnesota when Wisconsin and Minnesota exchanged islands in the Mississippi River [not mapped]. (Wis. Laws 1917, reg. sess., ch. 64, secs. 1-4/pp. 171-172; Laws 1937, reg. sess., ch. 186, secs. 1-2/p. 311; Van Zandt, 131)
1 May 1919
BROWN gained small areas from OCONTO and SHAWANO. (Wis. Laws 1919, reg. sess., ch. 96, secs. 1, 6/pp. 104, 106; ch. 617, secs. 1-2/pp. 1085-1086; ch. 702/pp. 1343-1344)
7 February 1922
The United States Supreme Court approved the commissioners' report establishing the Minnesota-Wisconsin boundary along the St. Louis River from St. Louis Bay (Lake Superior) to the falls near the Fond du Lac Indian Reservation [no change]. (Van Zandt, 130-131)
8 October 1923
DELTA (Mich.), GOGEBIC (Mich.), and IRON (Mich.) implicitly overlapped Wisconsin's DOOR, FOREST, IRON, and VILAS Counties when Michigan took its 1909 boundary dispute with Wisconsin to the U.S. Supreme Court and expanded its scope by claiming more territory on the Upper Peninsula (Overlap Area 4) and more of the waters and islands of Green Bay (Overlap Area 5). Wisconsin claimed the old, established line and never lost control of the disputed area. (Martin, "Michigan-Wisconsin," 116, 118, 132)
1 March 1926
Michigan's claim to territory in Wisconsin ended when the U.S. Supreme Court decided the dispute between Michigan and Wisconsin entirely in favor of Wisconsin; Overlap Areas 4 and 5 eliminated. (Martin, "Michigan-Wisconsin," 141-143)
22 November 1926
An overlap between Michigan and Wisconsin (Overlap Area 6) was created in Green Bay and Lake Michigan when DOOR appeared to gain islands north of the Rock Island Passage from DELTA (Mich.) when the U.S. Supreme Court decreed the precise course of the Michigan-Wisconsin boundary through Lake Michigan and Green Bay and introduced some unintentional errors. (Martin, "Michigan-Wisconsin," 143-145, 158; Paullin, 86, pl. 101)
7 November 1932
Wisconsin filed suit in the United States Supreme Court to correct the Green Bay-Lake Michigan portion of the boundary with Michigan [no change]. (Martin, "Second Wisconsin-Michigan," 83)
20 May 1935
U.S. Supreme Court decided that its Green Bay-Lake Michigan line, decreed on 22 November 1926, was in error [no change]. (Martin, "Second Wisconsin-Michigan," 86, 111-118)
16 March 1936
DELTA (Mich.) regained full control of the area overlapped with DOOR (Overlap Area 6); dispute with Wisconsin ended when the U.S. Supreme Court decreed the precise course of the revised Michigan-Wisconsin boundary through Green Bay and Lake Michigan, restoring to DELTA (Mich.) the area it appeared to lose in 1926. (Martin, "Second Wisconsin-Michigan," 86, 118-121)
27 June 1939
VERNON gained small area from MONROE. (Wis. Laws 1939, ch. 192, secs. 1, 6/pp. 327-328)
1 May 1943
PIERCE gained small area from ST. CROIX in section 36, township 28 north, range 19 west; and section 31, township 28 north, range 18 west [change too small to display on interactive map; shapefile users see small_changes 1943_pt. for location]. (Wis. Laws 1943, ch. 13, secs. 1, 5, 7/pp. 15, 18)
22 May 1943
BROWN, MONROE, and VERNON boundaries were clarified [no change]. (Wis. Laws 1943, ch. 177/pp. 253-255)
1 May 1961
MENOMINEE created from OCONTO and SHAWANO. (Wis. Laws 1959, ch. 259, secs. 1, 3, 30, 42/pp. 300-301, 310, 314)
23 September 1965
BROWN gained small area from SHAWANO. (Wis. Laws 1965, ch. 267, sec. 1/pp. 494-495)
22 December 1967
SHAWANO gained small area from BROWN. (Wis. Laws 1967, ch. 243, sec. 1/p. 648)
1 January 2000
JACKSON exchanged small areas with MONROE along the Black River. (Wis. Laws 1999, ch. 25, pp. 807-808)