Town
of Ixonia History
The
present flourishing town of Ixonia was at one time a trackless
wilderness, No bridges spanned its streams and an adventurous
pilgrim traveled for miles before his, heart was gladdened
by the sight of an Inhabitant or the song of a woodsman
who had preceded him into the forest. It took courage,
skill, foresight, and struggling to achieve what we have
to enjoy today. In the year 1632, previous of the white,
the Winnebago and Pottowatomi Indian tribes occupied southern
Wisconsin including Jefferson County for a considerable
time.
Traces of these historic settlers may be seen on a farm
in section 19, which at one time was owned by John Stafeil,
where mounds still exist. In a more recent discovery in
an area overlooking the Rock River in the same section
were the human remains believed to be those of Indians.
Also along the banks of the Rock River but in section
26, just south of the ford (now Hwy. 16 bridge), traces
of an Indian trading post were dug up by Joe Marks while
In the process of building a new home.
French explorers soon made their appearances, followed
by priests and fur traders. In 1763 the French and Indian
War was fought. At the close of the Revolution in 1783
this area became part of the Northwest Territory.
It is generally conceded that the Black Hawk War was instrumental
in directing the attention of immigrants to Wisconsin,
who from that date began to arrive in such great numbers
that in 1836 a Territorial Government was organized by
an act of Congress. In 1848 Wisconsin was granted statehood
by President Polk.
Vicksburg
The convenience of a ford across the river in section
22, one half mile east of the present site of Ixonia,
attracted the first pioneers that settled in the township,
known as the township of Watertown at that time. This
little settlement along the west bank of the Rock River
was called Vicksburg. In addition to several log houses,
Vicksburg consisted of the Halfway House and Tavern, a
hotel, store, and a sawmill. The Halfway House was built
to provide a place for the prospectors to live as they
went out to claim land. The 1850 census revealed that
seventeen people were residing in this establishment at
one time. It was well known as the "Tavern". Isaac Collins
was the tavern keeper. Years later this structure was
moved to the present John Humphrey farm where it still
remains as a modern farm home. D.H. McCall built the hotel
and the store in 1844, serving the travelers along the
Plank Road. He later converted the hotel into a home for
his family and when Vicksburg took its flight, the structure
was moved to Ixonia Center. John Gibb purchased the original
Nyles W. Naley property and built and operated a saw mill
in 1849. It was in 1863 that Hugh McCall purchased the
property. The remains of the old steam saw mill were cleared
away in 1932 by the present owner Evan Evans.
U.S. Highway 16 now passes through this Vicksburg area.
It was shortly after the construction of the railroad
that this little settlement took its flight to sections
21 and 22, the present sight of Ixonia, at that time referred
to as Ixonia Center.
Township
of Ixonia Organized
It was on February 12, 1841 when a part of Watertown,
Towns seven and eight north of Range 16 were set off to
organize the town of Union. It remained the town of Union
for only five years and then was divided into two individual
towns. Town 7 was called Concord without any disagreement,
but a dispute resulted in the naming of town 8. To simplify
matters it was agreed upon to put the letters of the alphabet
on slips of paper and have young Mary Piper draw them
until a name could be formed. As the result, "Ixonia"
was the name given town 8 on January 21, 1846, and remains
the only town bearing this name in the United States.
History
documentation provided by Carl & Alida Jaeger.
