Learn about the oldest cities and towns in Wisconsin which were established by 1836 and still exist today. Visit our other Wisconsin Historical Society websites!

In 1833, Chicago was a wilderness outpost of just 350 residents, clumped around a small military fort on soggy land where the Chicago River trickled into Lake Michigan. The site was known to local...

This 1868 pocket map of Chicago shows the city in full-blown expansion, a mere 3 years before the infamous blaze.

In response, between 1867 and 1868, three House representatives from the Midwest proposed resolutions to move the capitol toward the middle of the country.

Political upheavals, mandatory military service, high taxes, poverty, and religious persecution “pushed” many to seek better lives in the U.S, while cheap land, low taxes, and religious freedom were factors that “pulled” them to the American Midwest.