lafayette County
Land of History and Adventure
FARMING, OUTDOOR RECREATION, AND WISCONSIN HISTORY ARE THE HALLMARKS OF LAFAYETTE COUNTY. LAFAYETTE COUNTY PLAYED A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN THE STATE'S BEGINNINGS. SETTLERS ARRIVED IN THE EARLY 1820s TO MINE THE LEAD IN THE REGION. THEY HAD NO TIME TO BUILD PERMANENT HOMES, SO THEY DUG CRUDE DWELLINGS INTO THE HILLSIDES, RESEMBLING BADGER HOLES. THESE RUSTIC HOMESTEADS INSPIRED WISCONSIN'S NICKNAME AS THE BADGER STATE.
ARGYLE • BELMONT • BENTON • BLANCHARDVILLE • BROWNTOWN • CUBA CITY • DARLINGTON • GRATIOT • MONTICELLO • NEW DIGGINGS • SHULLSBURG • SOUTH WAYNE • WIOTA
When the Wisconsin Territory was established in 1836, Lafayette County housed the First Capitol in Belmont. Two restored buildings are open for prearranged tours: the Council House, which is furnished much like it was when the territorial legislature met there, and the Supreme Court building.
Shullsburg was the third established community in Wisconsin. The area boasted the most productive lead mining in the country leading to a population boom in the 1820s.
Lafayette County is farm country. With 1,400 farms, Lafayette County’s economy depends on agriculture more than any other county in Wisconsin.
Lafayette County is also a haven for those seeking nature and outdoor recreation. Hiking, bicycling, fishing, hunting, canoeing, swimming, ATV riding, horseback riding, cross-country skiing, and snowmobiling are all available in Lafayette County’s scenic Driftless countryside.