What is now Grant County was largely uninhabited prior to contact with Europeans, as it was a border region between the territories of the Kickapoo, Menominee, and Illinois tribes. The only Native Americans to have a permanent settlement in the area were the Meskwaki people, who had a temporary village in what is now the extreme northeast of the county during the mid-1700s.
Colonial period
Between 1520 and 1620 this area was nominally ruled by Spain, although the lack of explorers left the region completely untouched by Spanish authority. The first Frenchmen to reach what is now Grant County were Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet, who explored the region in the spring of 1673, after setting out from what would later become Green Bay. No permanent settlement was made. In 1680 Louis Hennepin also passed through the region that would later become Grant County, also making no permanent settlement. In 1689 Nicholas Perrot passed through the territory and claimed it for the King of France. The first settlement was a temporary trading post that Pierre Marin founded in 1725.
The British technically ruled the region during the period between the French and Indian War and the American Revolution, though no effort was made to settle or administer the region. After the abandonment of Marin's trading post, the region went unvisited until the expedition of Jonathan Carver, a New England Yankee who passed through what is now Grant County in 1766 during an attempt to discover the Pacific Ocean.
American period
In 1783, the British government acknowledged the jurisdiction of the United States over the land east of the Mississippi River, including what is now Grant County. American and European traders visiting the region over the next decades were yet as nomadic as the Indians, and no records survive. Grant County was created as part of Wisconsin Territory in 1837.[5] It was named after an Indian trader; his first name, origins, and eventual fate are all unknown.[6]
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,183 square miles (3,060km2), of which 1,147 square miles (2,970km2) is land and 36 square miles (93km2) (3.1%) is water.[7]
U.S. Decennial Census[8] 1790–1960[9] 1900–1990[10] 1990–2000[11] 2010–2020[2]
2020 census
As of the census of 2020,[1] the population was 51,938. The population density was 45.3 peopleper square mile (17.5 people/km2). There were 22,110 housing units at an average density of 19.3 unitsper square mile (7.5 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 93.8% White, 1.3% Black or African American, 0.8% Asian, 0.2% Native American, 1.0% from other races, and 2.8% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 2.4% Hispanic or Latino of any race.
2000 Census Age Pyramid for Grant County.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000,[12] there were 49,597 people, 18,465 households, and 12,390 families residing in the county. The population density was 43 peopleper square mile (17 people/km2). There were 19,940 housing units at an average density of 17 unitsper square mile (6.6 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 98.23% White, 0.52% Black or African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.46% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.14% from other races, and 0.50% from two or more races. 0.56% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 52.0% were of German, 9.2% English, 8.8% Irish, 6.6% American and 6.4% Norwegian ancestry.
There were 18,465 households, out of which 30.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.10% were married couples living together, 7.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.90% were non-families. 26.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.70% under the age of 18, 14.60% from 18 to 24, 24.80% from 25 to 44, 21.60% from 45 to 64, and 15.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 103.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.00 males.
Grant County has been a reliably Republican county at the federal level for most of its existence. In 2024, Republican Donald Trump won the highest percentage of the vote in the county since 1984.
It had voted for the Democratic candidate for president six elections in a row, starting in 1992, before shifting back to the GOP in 2016.
Fair play was founded by a prospector, rather than a farmer or logger, and within two years the prospector found ore, the settlement was built on the corner of Hwy 11 and Sandy Hook Road, the place was rather rowdy and fights based in greed was not uncommon, the place got its moniker when a violent fight broke out and one contender did not carry weapon, but the other man did, and thus the crowd started chanting 'Fair Play! Fair Play! Fair Play!' until the fight ended, and thus the village formerly known as 'Hard Town' was redubbed as 'Fair Play', in 1846, the last threatened duel took place and afterwards the settlement was abandoned.
Paris was a settlement 1/8th of a mile South of 'Dickeyville' near Hwy 151/61 between 1838 and 1843, a small settlement built on the Platte River, the founder had malaria and he named the place after his homelands capital, Paris, (France), he built a bridge across the river that proved the counties first one made, the founder, Detantabaritz, had started experiencing financial issues, and he ended up facing a creditor, choosing swords as dueling weapons as he was himself a Dragoon, the creditor backed down, and later the founder took his own life due to debt anxieties, and now only a tavern remains, selling ribs.
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Richland County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,304. Its county seat is Richland Center. The county was created from the Wisconsin Territory in 1842 and organized in 1850. It is named for the high quality of its soil.
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Green County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 37,093. Its county seat is Monroe. Green County is included in the Madison, WI Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Wright County is a county in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,943. The county seat is Clarion. The county organization became effective in January 1851, and is believed to be named either after Silas Wright, a governor of New York, or Joseph Albert Wright, a governor of Indiana.
Linn County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 230,299, making it the second-most populous county in Iowa. The county seat is Cedar Rapids. Linn County is named in honor of Senator Lewis F. Linn of Missouri. Linn County is included in the Cedar Rapids, IA Metropolitan Statistical Area.
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Jo Daviess County is the northwesternmost county in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 22,035. Its county seat is Galena. Jo Daviess County is part of the Tri-State Area and is located near Dubuque, Iowa and Platteville, Wisconsin. As part of the Driftless Area, Jo Daviess County contains rugged terrain compared to the rest of the state. Within Jo Daviess County lies Charles Mound, the highest natural point in Illinois, as well as eight of the ten highest points in Illinois.
The Town of Ellenboro is a town located in Grant County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 608 at the 2000 census.
Lancaster is a city in and the county seat of Grant County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 3,907 at the 2020 census.
Wiota is a town in Lafayette County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 856 at the 2010 census. The unincorporated communities of Wiota, Woodford and Five Corners are located in the town.
Montfort is a village in Grant and Iowa Counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 707 at the 2020 census.
Boscobel is a city in Grant County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 3,286 at the 2020 census. Approximately 0.6 mi. (1 km) to the north of the city, across a riparian swamp, is the Wisconsin River. U.S. Route 61 crosses the Wisconsin River at Boscobel. To the south, the city is bordered by the Town of Boscobel.
Cassville is a village in Grant County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 777 at the 2020 census. The village is located along the Mississippi River, opposite from the mouth of the Turkey River. It is surrounded by the Town of Cassville.
Platteville is the largest city in Grant County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 11,836 at the 2020 census.
State Trunk Highway 81 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It runs east–west in southwest and south central Wisconsin from Cassville to Beloit. Between Brodhead and Monroe it run concurrently with WIS 11 for 13 miles (21 km). The route was originally designated as a state highway in the early 1920s, but there were three different designations along the route. It was not signed as WIS 81 along the entire route until 1934.
The Dubuque area is the general area encompassing Dubuque, Iowa. The official population of the Dubuque metro was 92,384 as of the 2005 population estimates. Although, if the unofficial counties are included, the area's population is near 190,000.
Wisconsin's 49th Assembly district is one of 99 districts in the Wisconsin State Assembly. Located in southwest Wisconsin, the district comprises all of Crawford County and most of Grant County. It includes the cities of Boscobel, Fennimore, Lancaster, Platteville, and Prairie du Chien, and the villages of Bagley, Bell Center, Bloomington, Cassville, De Soto, Dickeyville, Eastman, Ferryville, Gays Mills, Lynxville, Mount Hope, Mount Sterling, Patch Grove, Potosi, Soldiers Grove, Steuben, Tennyson, Wauzeka, and Woodman. The district also contains the University of Wisconsin–Platteville campus, Wyalusing State Park, and Nelson Dewey Memorial State Park, and historic landmarks such as the Potosi Brewery and the Grant County Courthouse. The district has been represented by Travis Tranel, a Republican, since January 2011.
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