Welcome to Watertown, Wisconsin!

 

 

The City of Watertown, WIsconsin straddles both Jefferson and Dodge Counties in southeastern Wisconsin. Most of the city's population is in Jefferson County. Division Street, several blocks north of downtown, is built on the county line. The Rock River flows through Watertown in a horseshoe bend before heading south and west on its way to the Mississippi River. The city originally developed inside the horseshoe, though it has long since grown beyond. Silver Creek adjoins the river in the city, as does a short creek on the west side. The most notable geographical feature is a high density of drumlins, long hills formed by the glaciers of the Wisconsin glaciation as they retreated northwards. As a result, all hills in the area are elongated in the north-south direction. .

Watertown was first settled by Timothy Johnson, who built a cabin on the west side of the river in 1836. A town was settled to utilize the power of the Rock River, which falls 20 feet in two miles. In contrast, the Rock River falls only 34 feet in the 58 miles upstream from Watertown. The waterpower was first used for sawmills, and later prompted the construction of two hydroelectric dams, one downtown (where the river flows south) and one on the eastern edge of the city (where the river flows north). The Watertown economy remains heavily reliant on light industry.

In 1853, a plank road was completed from Milwaukee to Watertown. After plank roads were no longer used, the route was replaced by highway (Wisconsin Highway 16) and railroad. However, a street named "Watertown Plank Road" survives in Milwaukee. The road is referenced by the "Plank Road Brewery" family of beers, including Icehouse beer, produced by Miller Brewing Company in Milwaukee.

Today, Watertown's population is over 23,131 and the city has been home to several famous or influential Americans in the distant, as well as more recent, past. Watertown's favorite sons and daughters include Margarethe Schurz, who founded the first American kindergarten in 1856 (the building that housed this kindergarten is now located on the grounds of the Octagon House Museum in Watertown) and journalist R. D. Blumenfeld, editor of the British Daily Express. Dan Brandenstein, former NASA astronaut and veteran of four space shuttle flights; Joseph E. Davies, the second Ambassador to represent the United States in the Soviet Union; and former Major Leage Baseball first baseman Fred Merkle, who played 16 years in the Major Leagues in the early twentieth century, also hail from Watertown, Wisconsin.

Of course, a name like Watertown may conjur up a myriad of images focused on - what else? - water!. And that is certainly the case here. Throughout the city, it's common to see Watertowners of all ages fishing, swimming, sailing or relaxing on gently floating air tubes of all shapes and sizes. Others might canoe, paddleboat or ski behind a flying motorboat. During those cold Wisconsin winters, water enthusiasts like to take to the ice where boats were floating, racing or sailing just weeks before.

The gently rolling green hills emblematic of the entire State of Wisconsin invite golfers of all levels of expertise. Novices and top amateurs, alike, have their choice between two challenging 18-hole courses in Watertown. Watertown Country Club is a private club located on Silver Creek and includes a dining/banquet facility while Windwood is a public course complete with restaurant and dining/banquet facilities located just east of the city in the rolling hills of the Wisconsin countryside.

Those who come to Watertown sense community spirit all around town. For generations, Watertown residents have tended to the little things that make life great. They planned well for the future - as is evidenced in our commercial, worship and public buildings. As newcomers drive through the community, they notice pride in ownership in Watertowns homeowners, business owners and entrepreneurs. Neighborhood watch groups get to know each other and strive to maintain a peaceful and friendly relationship.

For more information on activities in and around Watertown, Wisconsin, visit:

 

 

For more information on activities in and around South Central Wisconsin, including Jefferson County, Wisconsin, visit: