Columbus

History

Before European settlement of the region, the area was territory of the Ho-Chunk Nation, who were the primary inhabitants of south-central Wisconsin, including the Columbus region. The Crawfish River was an important part of their trade. Sometimes, other tribes challenged the ownership over the region. For example, the Sauk and Meskwaki peoples. The earliest European settlers of Columbus were Majors Elbert Dickason and Lewis Ludington, arriving in 1838 and 1839, respectively. Dickason, following military discharge from the Black Hawk War, returned in 1839 to find Lewis Ludington enjoying the same area of land that he had purchased through the government land office for $1.25 an acre. Dickason built a log cabin on the banks of the Crawfish River, located across the railroad tracks from what is now the north end of Dickason Boulevard. He is credited with naming the settlement after Christopher Columbus. Lewis Ludington's land purchases were registered in the Green Bay Office of Land Management in 1839, signaling that a settlement had been established. In 1847, the state legislature declared that Columbus should become the county seat of justice, but that designation only lasted until 1851, when Portage became the county seat. By the 1850s, the settlement in Columbus had become well established. The surrounding countryside was also becoming inhabited by adventurous families, establishing themselves as the farmers and responding to the needs of not only their own families, but also to the people in this city and beyond. In 1857, the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad reached Columbus, establishing it as a grain and dairy shipping hub. In 1864, the settlement at Columbus was incorporated as a village. On February 26, 1874, the village officially became…

Geography

Columbus is located at (43.337366, -89.022753). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. {| |- | |}

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Columbus Elementary
  Elementary · Columbus · 438 students · 12.9:1 ratio
• Columbus High
  High · Columbus · 385 students · 13.3:1 ratio
• Columbus Middle
  Middle · Columbus · 265 students · 12:1 ratio
• Fall River High
  High · Fall River · 265 students · 13.9:1 ratio
• Fall River Elementary
  Elementary · Fall River · 234 students · 13:1 ratio
• Discovery Charter School
  Elementary · Columbus · 73 students · 14.6:1 ratio