Wiota, Wisconsin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Wiota, Wisconsin Hamilton's Diggings
Town
Wiota Lutheran Church
Wiota, Wisconsin Location in Wisconsin Show map of Wisconsin Wiota, Wisconsin Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Wisconsin
County	Lafayette
Founded	1828
Area
• Total	52.82 sq mi (136.8 km2)
• Land	52.80 sq mi (136.8 km2)
• Water	0.03 sq mi (0.08 km2)
Elevation	997 ft (304 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	856
• Density	16/sq mi (6.3/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP Codes	53587 (South Wayne) 53599 (Woodford) 53504 (Argyle) 53530 (Darlington) 53541 (Gratiot) 53522 (Browntown)
Area code(s)	608
FIPS code	55-065-88050

Wiota is a small town located in Lafayette County, Wisconsin, in the United States. In 2010, about 856 people lived there. The town includes the smaller communities of Wiota, Woodford, and Five Corners.

History of Wiota

Early Mining and Settlement

Wiota has an interesting past, especially with mining. In the late 1820s, a man named William S. Hamilton moved to Wisconsin from Illinois. He was the son of Alexander Hamilton, a famous American leader. William started a lead ore mine, which was first called Hamilton's Diggings. Later, he changed the name of the settlement to Wiota.

Hamilton, along with Elias Shook and William Haws, settled this area in 1828. They quickly found good amounts of lead ore. During the Black Hawk War in 1832, a fort was built at Hamilton's Diggings. This fort was known as Fort Hamilton.

The first plan for Wiota was made by Hamilton in 1836. A few buildings were put up, but the main settlement later moved. The current location of Wiota was officially planned on July 1, 1858.

Norwegian Immigrants and the Church

Wiota is also famous for being one of the first places where Norwegian immigrants settled in the United States. These new settlers started arriving from Chicago in 1841. One of the early immigrants was Per Ivarson Undi.

The East Wiota Lutheran Church was finished in 1852. It is the oldest Norwegian Lutheran church in America that has been running continuously. Johan Storm Munch was an early pastor at this church. His wife, Caja, wrote a diary about their time in Wiota. This diary was later published as a book called The Strange American Way.

Geography of Wiota

Wiota is located in the eastern part of Lafayette County. It shares its eastern border with Green County. The town covers about 52.82 square miles (136.8 square kilometers). Only a very small part of this area, about 0.05%, is water.

The western edge of Wiota follows the Pecatonica River. The East Branch of this river flows south through the eastern side of the town.

Population and People

In 2000, there were 900 people living in Wiota. The town had 331 households and 249 families. The population density was about 17.1 people per square mile.

Most of the people living in Wiota were White (99%). A small number of residents were African American, Native American, or Asian. Some people were also from two or more races. About 0.56% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

The average household in Wiota had about 2.69 people. The average family had about 3.12 people.

The population was spread out by age. About 28.2% of the people were under 18 years old. About 13.7% were 65 years or older. The average age in the town was 39 years.

Notable People from Wiota

Many interesting people have connections to Wiota:

• George Engebretson was a Wisconsin state senator.
• Julius M. Engebretson, who was born in Wiota, served as a Wisconsin state representative.
• Martin O. Monson was also a Wisconsin state representative.
• Johan Storm Munch was an important early pastor at the Wiota Norwegian Lutheran Church.
• Per Ivarson Undi was an early Norwegian settler who lived in Wiota and encouraged others to move there.
• Ezra Wescott, a Wisconsin state representative, taught school in Wiota.
• Grover C. Winn, who was born in Wiota, became an Alaska territorial legislator.

See also

In Spanish: Wiota (Wisconsin) para niños