Colgate, Wisconsin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Colgate, Wisconsin
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The Colgate post office
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 Colgate, Wisconsin
Location in Wisconsin
Colgate, Wisconsin
Location in the United States
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  Wisconsin |
| County | Washington, Waukesha |
| Elevation | 299 m (981 ft) |
| Population | |
| • Estimate
(February 2018)
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300 |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code |
53017
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| Area code(s) | 262 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1563263 |
Colgate is a small community in Wisconsin, United States. It's not an official town or city, but an unincorporated community. Colgate is located in both Washington County and Waukesha County. Part of it is in the village of Richfield, and another part is in the village of Lisbon. The area has its own ZIP Code, 53017. About 300 people live in Colgate today.
Contents
Exploring Colgate's Location
Colgate is a unique place where two rivers begin. The Fox River, which flows into the Illinois River, starts in a small swamp near Colgate. The Bark River also begins north of the community and flows southwest.
A Canadian National Railway line runs through Colgate from north to south. There used to be a train station, called a depot, here.
The main road in Colgate is County Road Q. It's also known as County Line Road. This road runs east to west right along the border between Washington and Waukesha counties. It used to be called Main Street.
A Look Back at Colgate's History
Colgate was first known as Colgate Station. It was named after James Colgate. He was a construction engineer who helped build the railway line that still goes through the community.
The Colgate Post Office Story
The post office in Colgate started on January 11, 1887. Andrew Ennis, Sr. was the first postmaster, the person in charge of the post office. It first operated out of the railroad depot.
Later, the post office moved to a general store. This store was on the south side of the main road. On December 8, 1902, a fire broke out in the general store. The store was rebuilt on December 15, 1903. This time, it was built on the north side of the road.
The post office has always been an important part of Colgate. Even today, it's the only non-residential business still open in downtown Colgate. In 2013, the Colgate post office became a Remotely Managed Post Office. This means it no longer has its own postmaster. It is now managed by the postmaster of the Hubertus Post Office.
Interesting Moments in Colgate's Past
On October 16, 1901, two freight trains crashed on the Wisconsin Central Railway tracks near Colgate. Luckily, no one was hurt, but two train cars went off the tracks.
In 1967, a young woman from Colgate became the 20th Alice in Dairyland. Her name was Kristin Williams. This was a big event for the community. It led to the largest parade Colgate had ever seen! There were 89 vehicles driving down what was then called Main Street.
In 1983, something unusual happened. A friendly turkey hen decided to make downtown Colgate her home. Turkeys were quite rare in the area back then, so it was big news!
In November 1987, the old Stirn General Store and Post Office building caught fire. It had stood for 84 years. Firefighters from nearby towns helped put out the blaze, but the building was destroyed. The post office had already moved to its current location before the fire.
More recently, in 2018, people reported seeing cougars in the area. There were three sightings in Colgate. Experts believe it was likely the same cougar, which had traveled all the way from South Dakota.
Images for kids
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The Colgate post office
