When Madison Sneezes, Dane County Catches Cold The Roots and Reasons for the Urban-Rural Relationship

Ho-chunk Corn Fields - Dunn Oldest Dane prehistoric site

Lead Rush, 1828 In 1828 Ebenezer Brigham arrived in Blue Mounds, where he found a nearly pure vein of lead ore. In 1832 the militia under Gov Dodge began building Fort Mound to prepare for Black Hawk.

Dane County’s First Road-1831 “The Appointed Council with the Winnebagoes was to be held at Four Lakes, thirty-five miles distant fro Fort Winnebago.... He [Kinzie] would set off in the morning early with Paquette, hold his council, and return to us that same evening.”

Military Road + Trails

Tom Kinney “Irish”: Lead Roads

Canals and Capitols Milwaukee Contractor A. A. Bird Arrives in Madison to build capitol James Morrison hired to oversee construction. Morrison also Builds American House Hotel to hold 1838 Legislative session. Work Slows On Capitol Legislators fire Morrison Madison Capitol Agenda: Canals, Rails, Roads Rep. Vineyard kills Rep. Arndt During Assembly Debate over local appointments Madison Building Boom (College Hill, Capitol Square, Insane Asylum-Westport) Legislators approve new Capitol.

Gravel Pits: Ag Lime + Good Roads-1914

UW Ag Dean Chris Christensen In 1938, the State Corn- Husking Competition was held on a farm in Morrisonville in the Town of Windsor. UW Ag Dean Christensen had a “Dean’s Husking Competition” to raise funds for hybrid corn research. Blaney in Fitchburg and Renk in Sun Prairie became top hybrid corn seed producers by the end of World War II. John Stueart Curry painted this from Ag Agent photos of the event.

Farm to Suburban Use Between 1974 and 1980 an average of 1,079 acres converted from agricultural use to residential development In the 1970s Burke converted from mostly rural to commercial and suburban due to annexation pressure from Madison and Sun Prairie leaving 850 acres of the former town. This was once Dane County’s most productive dairy producer.

County vs. City In 2000, with a population of 418,978, half of Dane County’s growth took place in Madison, Sun Prairie, Fitchburg, and Stoughton, fueled by annexation policy. At the same time, “rural growth was greatest in the outer ring, Cottage Grove, Middleton, Oregon, Westport, Windsor, and Bristol all adjacent to growing villages.

Driving to Work? In 1980, 30,000 vehicles crossed the Yahara River bridge on the South Beltline. When completed in the mid-1980s, the volume jumped to 58,850. In 1996, the South Beltline carried 89,510 cars daily. Mass Transit on the horizon?