Reedsburg, WI

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Just west, across the Baraboo River from downtown Reedsburg, James Babb registered his claim in 1848. He cultivated some of the prairie, used the timber to build a log house and thus became the first white man to become a permanent resident in this area. Having established himself here, he left his meager possessions in the care of the Winnebago (Ho-Chunk) Indians who resided in this area, and returned to Ohio to bring other members of his family here.

David C. Reed, hearing of deposits of iron and copper in the area, soon followed. He built a saw and grist mill on the river and five shanties made of wood to house the laborers. Their shanties became known as Shanty Row and stood approximately where Main Street is today. Mr. Reed has been credited for starting the village, thus the name of Reedsburgh (Reedsburg) was give to the settlement.

Reedsburg is full of interesting historical facts. Two of the “Black Sox” teammates played at our ball field the season after they were barred from professional baseball. One summer during World War II, a prisoner of war camp was located in what is now Webb Park. Reedsburg is the location of the first Ford dealership in the state of Wisconsin and had the first sanctioned Little League in Wisconsin.

During the 1960 Wisconsin Primary, a little known senator from Massachusetts, John Kennedy came to Main Street to campaign for the presidency of the United States. During the Berlin crisis, Reedsburg was featured in Life Magazine. They reported the events, trials and tribulations from a small community as their local national guard members were sent to Fort Lewis Washington.