Historical Society presents Irish in Sauk County
All Saints Catholic Church was built in the town of Dellona in 1857 on land donated by Patrick Hickey. Behind the church a cemetery was started, which today contains the names of many Irish immigrants. The church is gone but the rectory that was built for the pastor still stands on Highway H near the cemetery. (Sauk County Historical Society photo)
Just in time for Saint Patrick’s Day, the Sauk County Historical Society together with the Reedsburg Public Library will host a presentation about the history of the Irish in Sauk County. SCHS’s Executive Director Paul Wolter will present the topic online on Thursday, March 11, at 7 p.m. To register for the online program, go to the library’s homepage at www.reedsburglibrary.org or call the library at 768-READ (7323). Wolter will present the history of Irish immigration to the area beginning with Archibald Barker and Andrew Dunn, two of the county’s first white settlers, who arrived in November of 1837. Through their friendship with Henry Dodge, Jr., the son of Wisconsin’s first territorial governor, they learned that a treaty had been signed with the Ho-Chunk Nation, which ceded all Ho-Chunk lands east of the Mississippi River to the U.S. government. Acting on this information they started building a cabin near the Baraboo River. The two Irishmen soon encountered the Ho-Chunk people who lived there, who had never heard of such a treaty, and were chased away to seek refuge at Fort Winnebago. A few years later, Barker returned to help build the first dam on the Baraboo River. According to Wolter, Barker and Dunn were the first of hundreds of Irish to seek homes in Sauk County. By 1870 nearly 1,000 fellow countrymen and women had come to Sauk County to make up five percent of the county’s population. If the second generation of Irish-Americans is added, Sauk County’s population was even more Irish. The northern Sauk County town of Dellona is one particular area the Irish settled and was originally named Sligo after the county of the same name in Ireland. To find out more about the fascinating story of the Irish in Sauk County, plan to view this program online, and be sure to register by 5p.m. Wednesday, March 10 . A link to the presentation will be sent via email the day before and on the day of the event. For questions about this program or any library program or service call 768-READ (7323) or email info@reedsburglibrary.org.
