Dodgeville is a city in Iowa County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 4,220 at the 2000 census. The city is located within the Town of Dodgeville.

Geography

Dodgeville is located at 42°57′48″N, 90°7′52″W (42.963373, -90.131161)^[1].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.3 km² (3.6 sq mi and 0.4 square miles (1.0 km²) of it (0.44%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 4,220 people, 1,751 households, and 1,131 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,178.5 people per square mile (455.1/km²). There were 1,831 housing units at an average density of 511.3/sq mi (197.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.06% White, 0.36% Black or African American, 0.02% Native American, 0.59% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.17% from other races, and 0.76% from two or more races. 0.43% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 1,751 households out of which 33.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.5% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.4% were non-families. 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.8% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 89.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.0 males

The median income for a household in the city was $41,615, and the median income for a family was $50,755. Males had a median income of $32,738 versus $24,047 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,962. About 2.7% of families and 5.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.3% of those under age 18 and 16.0% of those age 65 or over. The largest employer is Lands' End, a mail-order clothing retailer.

The official mascot of the town is the eponymous "Dodger." The recent unofficial mascot of the city is the Kangaroo, after a series of bizarre confirmed sightings of extant kangaroos in the woods outside the city.

History

In 1827, "Henry Dodge, his family and about 40 miners" began what would become the city of Dodgeville (Johnson). Originally a mining community, Henry Dodge made a "pact with the local Winnebago Indian Leaders" so he could build a cabin and smelter. The Dodge Mining Cabin, even though it was rebuilt, is "believed to be a structure from the original settlement" (Johnson). Dodgeville, which was named after Henry Dodge, grew very slowly during its early years of existence. The town was actually made up of two different settlements: "Dodgeville" and "Hollow Minersville" (Johnson). Henry Dodge, growing more popular and wealthy as time passed, became the first territorial Governor of Wisconsin in 1836. Dodgeville became a "village in the 1840s." A small "war" was begun with Mineral Point over who would get the county seat for Iowa County. At the time, Mineral Point had the seat, but Dodgeville felt they should have it. Rumor has it that a few people from Mineral Point actually fired a cannon towards Dodgeville over the issue of the county seat. Dodgeville won the "war," and as such, currently hosts the Iowa County seat in "what is now Wisconsin's oldest courthouse" (Johnson). Mining became less important due to the "California Gold Rush of 1849," "the Blackhawk Indian War, Civil War," and the emergence of farming. Dodgeville would become a "business and agricultural center" after the decline of mining in the area (Johnson).

Early residents in the Dodgeville area

List of early residents in the Dodgeville area: (Johnson)

• Americans of the following descents:
  • English
  • Irish
  • Scotch
  • French
• Hailing the following states:
  • Kentucky
  • Missouri
• The Welsh and Cornish miners came later from the British Isles.

Government

Dodgeville is the county seat for Iowa County. "The foundations for the Iowa County Courthouse building were laid in 1859, making it the state's oldest active courthouse."

• Mayor: Jim McCaulley

Economy

Dodgeville is a designated "National Mainstreet Program" since 1991.

As the seat of a major agricultural county, Dodgeville's economy relies on vital services for farmers. Dodgeville Agri-Service, Hennessey Implement, and Farmers' Saving Bank are several of the more important businesses in town.

Dodgeville is most well known as the home of the corporate Headquarters for Lands' End, a major clothing retailer. Lands' End employes several thousand people at its Dodgeville campus.

Recreation Sites

Military Ridge

Military Ridge State Trail is a 40-mile (64 km) trail that runs from Dodgeville to Fitchburg, WI. This trail is used by the residents of Iowa and Dane counties and visitors for hiking, bicycling, snow mobiling, and Cross Country Skiing. The trail "follows the former Chicago and Northwestern Railroad" paths (MRT) A daily, or seasonal pass must be purchased by users.

Governor Dodge State Park

One of the largest state parks in Wisconsin, Governor Dodge State Park is located on Hwy 23, about 3 miles (4.8 km) North of Hwy 18 and Dodgeville. The park was named after Governor Henry Dodge, the first governor of the Territory of Wisconsin. The Military Ridge Trail also leads directly into Governor Dodge. Set deep in the Driftless Area of Wisconsin, Governor Dodge offers many "scenic bluffs", "deep hills", and wildlife to those who visit (WDNR). The park was donated to the state in 1948. Although it only contained 160 acres (0.65 km²) at the time of the donation, Governor Dodge quickly grew to contain 5270 acres (WDNR). The two lakes and corresponding beach/camping areas located in Governor Dodge are Twin Valley Lake and Cox Hollow.

Historical Sites

Dodge Mining Camp Cabin

This mining cabin was originally built circa 1828 and is representative of the housing constructed by lead diggers at "Dodge's Camp"--- the original lead mining claim of Colonel Henry Dodge and family. The Iowa County Historical Society restored the cabin and moved it to its present location on Fountain Street. It is one of Wisconsin's oldest structures, and may well be the last extant mining camp cabin the days of the "Lead Rush" of 1827-1830.

Spang's Opera House

The Opera House was built in the early stages of Dodgeville's development. It was demolished during the 1990's in favor of a Gas Station conveninece store.

Tourist Attractions

The Thym's Supper Club

Frequented by the late architect Frank Lloyd Wright, this prairie-style supper club has been a mainstay of the area for "traditional" Wisconsin foods. Begun by twin brothers Pat and Paul Thym, the restaurant still exhibits a 1950's era dining establishment.

The Don Q Inn

The Boeing C-97 parked in front of this hotel and restaurant is an indication of the uniqueness of this attraction. A "cave" connects the restaurant to themed rooms. The lobby has a large ciruclar firepalce, replete with antique barberchairs from which to enjoy the flames.

Dodgeville School District

Main article: Dodgeville School District

The Dodgeville School District comprises students from Dodgeville and Ridgeway and consists of four schools - two elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school. The Dodgeville school district sports teams are known by the name of Dodgeville Dodgers. The letter D being used for the team symbol.

One elementary school is located in Dodgeville, while the other is located in the town of Ridgeway, WI. Both schools have pre-K through 4th grade students. However, Ridgeway elementary school also has a 5th grade, while Dodgeville's elementary school does not. Students are bussed from Dodgeville to Ridgeway during their 5th grade year. It is at this point that these 5th grade Dodgeville students will meet the rest of their graduating class, who had previously attended only Ridgeway. The middle school holds grades 6-8, while the high school holds 9-12.

Notable People from Dodgeville

• Bob Buck: Hall of Fame Football and Basketball Coach.
• Ron Dentinger: Comedian and Columnist for the "Dodgeville Chronicle".
• Archie Hahn: Gold medal Olympic sprinter in 1904 and 1906 Olympics
• Julie Van Epps: Former teacher and successful Dodgeville Head Volleyball Coach.
• Musician (Charles) Peter None (AKA: Big Mama Fitzgerald) was born August 26, 1953 in Dodgeville, WI
• John "Weenie" Wilson: Hall of Fame Football, Basketball, and Baseball Coach.

Dodgeville Events

Every summer Dodgeville holds a "Farmer Appreciation Day" celebration featuring a parade down Dodgeville's Main Street, called Iowa Street, and a festival in Harris Park. The event takes place the second weekend of July every year and serves as a way for the people of Dodgeville show appreciation for the farmers that comprise the backbone of the economy for Dodgeville and the surrounding area. The parade features farming implements, fire trucks and ambulances from local departments, and floats put on by area churches and business. The festival features BBQ sandwiches, music, tractor pulls and fireworks.

The town also puts on a yearly Blues Fest every July, in which local and national blues acts entertain locals and visitors alike for one day's worth of entertainment.

Every August Land's End hosts a four-day clearance sale in the Harris Park pavilion, drawing visitors from far and wide in search of bargains on Lands End products.

Media

The mostly widely-read daily newspaper in Dodgeville is the Wisconsin State Journal, published in Madison, although the Dubuque Telegraph Herald, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Chicago Tribune are available in Dodgeville stores.

Dodgeville's weekly newspaper is the Dodgeville Chronicle, published every Wednesday. The newspaper serves Dodgeville and surrounding towns such as Highland, Linden and Mineral Point, and has a circulation of about 2,000. Every week the Chronicle features the "Chronicle Spotlight," a special section focusing on one local resident with a story of interest.

The Dodgeville Kangaroo Incident

In the winter of 2005, Dodgeville appeared in national and international headlines when a kangaroo mysteriously appeared hopping around in the snow on farmland just west of the city. The story was carried in news outlets throughout the country, including the Chicago Tribune and MSNBC. No one knew where the kangaroo had come from. A few days after the kangaroo first appeared, it was captured in the barn of a resident west of town, and taken to the Henry Vilas Zoo in Madison, Wisconsin. Attempts to find the owner of the kangaroo turned up nothing. To this day no one has any idea who owned the kangaroo and how exactly it turned up in the snows of southwestern Wisconsin. The kangaroo still resides at the Henry Vilas Zoo.

Notables

The neutrality of this section is disputed. Please see the discussion on the talk page. This section has been tagged since December 2007.

Dodgeville is home to the corporate headquarters of Lands' End, a global catalog and internet merchant of apparel and home products. In 2002, Lands' End was the fourth largest catalog merchant and the largest seller of apparel online in the world. Lands' End was bought by Sears in 2002; Sears merged with K-mart in 2004.

Dodgeville's original Wal-mart was shuttered in favor of Super-Center on January 19, 2007. The occasion was celebrated by town and Wal-mart officials. A small section of the University of Wisconsin-Madison marching band appeared on opening day to provide some entertainment. Also, former Green Bay Packer player Santana Dotson made an appearance on the 20th to sign autographs.

Dodgeville also found itself in the middle of the War on Christmas controversy in late 2005 and early 2006. Ridgeway Elementary School, part of the Dodgeville School District and located in the nearby village of Ridgeway, was accused of changing the lyrics to "Silent Night" and forcing the students to sing a secularized version. The charge was made by Bill O'Reilly and then again on Fox by Mathew Staver of Liberty Counsel.

However, the school had not changed any lyrics, but had instead presented a Christmas play, The Little Tree's Christmas Gift, written in 1988. In the play, the title character, a small and unwanted Christmas tree, sings about his loneliness, to the tune of "Silent Night". The play has also been performed in several churches. It does not exclude Christmas; in fact, it concludes with audience participation singing of "Deck the Halls" and "We Wish You A Merry Christmas". Despite the demonstrable falsity of this charge, O'Reilly repeated it again on January 3, 2006 on The Late Show with David Letterman and then a third time on the January 11, 2006, broadcast of his radio show.

In January 2006, the Dodgeville School District demanded a widely distributed apology, a retraction of claims by the Liberty Counsel that the school's policies are "hostile" to the U.S. Constitution, and $23,899.48 in damages. The District's attorney stated her belief that the Liberty Counsel did this to encourage more donations.

References

1. ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
2. ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.

Explore Wisconsin's Iowa County: http://www.explorewisconsin.com/countypages/iowa.html

Johnson, Cindy. Dodgeville History, from the "American Local History Network" http://www.wlhn.org/wisconsonian/oct99/DodgevilleHistory.html

WDNR: http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/parks/specific/govdodge/

MRT: http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/ORG/LAND/PARKS/specific/militaryridge/

Wisconsin Football Coaches Association: http://www.wifca.org

External links

• Dodgeville Chamber of Commerce
• Iowa County Historical Society

• Dodgeville, Wisconsin is at coordinates 42°57′48″N 90°07′52″W / 42.963373, -90.131161 (Dodgeville, Wisconsin)Coordinates: 42°57′48″N 90°07′52″W / 42.963373, -90.131161 (Dodgeville, Wisconsin)

v â€¢ d â€¢ e Municipalities and communities of Iowa County, Wisconsin
County seat: Dodgeville
Cities	Dodgeville | Mineral Point
Towns	Arena | Brigham | Clyde | Dodgeville | Eden | Highland | Linden | Mifflin | Mineral Point | Moscow | Pulaski | Ridgeway | Waldwick | Wyoming
Villages	Arena | Avoca | Barneveld | Blanchardville | Cobb | Highland | Hollandale | Linden | Livingston | Montfort | Rewey | Ridgeway
Community	Helena