The community of Stoughton began when Luke Stoughton, a Vermont Yankee living in the Janesville area, purchased 800 acres of land at $2.60 nestled in a large bend of the Catfish River (now the Yahara River), on July 3, 1847. He liked the site because the Catfish River had the potential for being able to power a lumber mill. He platted the town, built a dam, lumber mill, and general store and began to publicize his community to relatives and friends. He also sold land and houses, lent money and encouraged others to settle in the new town. The village grew steadily, and in 1853, Luke Stoughton offered free land to the railroad if it would pass through Stoughton. The railroad's presence assured the city's future prosperity, and made the village a center for agriculture.
By 1868, when Stoughton became an incorporated village, the population had grown to 950, with most citizens being of Yankee descent. Most of the town lay between the river and the railroad tracks. The community's economic base was still agricultural. After the Civil War, however, a manufacturing economy began to develop, with Targe G. Mandt's Wagon Works being the most important industry. A second wagon works was opened, and by World War I over 800 men had been employed. At the same time, leaf tobacco became the important local crop, with hundreds of people, many of them women, employed in the seventeen tobacco warehouses in town.
As his business expanded and the City of Stoughton matured, the community became one of the most Norwegian towns in the United States. Over 75% of the town was of Norwegian descent by the turn of the century. The population swelled, and the years between 1885 and 1917 were boom years for Stoughton, with substantial growth in both commercial and residential districts. In 1882, Stoughton incorporated as a city.
The end of World War I marked the end of Stoughton's boom years. The emergence of automobiles and tractors brought about the demise of the wagon factories. Tobacco growing depleted the soil, and that industry collapsed. Then, after lean years in the 1920's and 1930's, Stoughton experienced an economic upswing, as several major industries opened. Today, the city continues to thrive, and the population has grown to over 12,000 citizens.
Learn more about this city.
City of Stoughton, WI official site
City of Stoughton, WI Chamber of Commerce
City of Stoughton, WI newspaper
County of Stoughton, WI official site
State of Wisconsin official site