Muscoda is a village in Grant and

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

counties in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

. The population was 1,307 at the 2020 census. Of this, 1,245 were in Grant County, and 62 were in Iowa County. The Grant County part of the village is adjacent to the Town of Muscoda and the Iowa County part is adjacent to the Town of Pulaski.

History and culture

Explorer and historian William Pidgeon, who visited the area in 1840, reported that Muscoda was "the ancient location of a large Indian village, but at present occupied by a few white families. This village is situated on an extensive plain of sandy soil, on the surface of which may be seen relics of many an ancient mound, varying much in size and form; some resembling redoubts, or fortifications, others presenting the forms of gigantic men, beasts, birds, and reptiles, among which may be found the eagle, the otter, the serpent, the alligator, and others pertaining to the deer, elk, and buffalo species. The highland in the vicinity of this village abounds with monuments that bear testimony to the ancient existence of an immense population in those regions." Muscoda became known as English Prairie, named for two English fur traders, Abraham Lansing and Garrit Roseboom, who opened a post at the close of the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

. Lansing and his son were murdered in 1763 by their French assistants and the fame of the murder kept the name English Prairie alive until 1840. The word Muscoda (pronounced "MUS-co-day") may be a corruption of the Ojibwa (Chippewa) word ''mashkode'', meaning "prairie". It may also have been taken from Longfellow's ''Hiawatha'', in which it is mentioned several times. The word's popular meaning was "Prairie of Flowers". Muscoda has billed itself as the "Wisconsin's Morel Capital" since 1982 and hosts the "

Morel ''Morchella'', the true morels, is a genus of edible sac fungi closely related to anatomically simpler cup fungi in the order Pezizales ( division Ascomycota). These distinctive fungi have a honeycomb appearance due to the network of ridges ...

Mushroom Festival" every year on the weekend following Mother's Day. The event includes carnival rides, tractors pulls, tournaments, merchant stands, food booths, and portable tattoo parlors.

Geography

Muscoda is located at (43.188457, -90.440775), on the Wisconsin River. Large rolling hills board the south of the town covered in mixed hardwoods made up of mainly Maple, Red/White Oak, Aspen, Cherry, Elm, and Walnut. of public land hug both the east and west sides of Muscoda. These public lands hold a great deal of wildlife for both sports and wildlife enthusiasts. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the village has a total area of , all of it land.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 1,299 people, 569 households, and 341 families living in the village. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 643 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 98.9%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.3%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.3% Native American, 0.1% Asian, and 0.4% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 0.8% of the population. There were 569 households, of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.2% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 7.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.1% were non-families. 33.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.74. The median age in the village was 40.4 years. 21.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.9% were from 25 to 44; 24.3% were from 45 to 64; and 19.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 49.8% male and 50.2% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,453 people, 610 households, and 384 families living in the village. The

was 1,069.1 people per square mile (412.5/km²). There were 661 housing units at an average density of 486.3 per square mile (187.7/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 98.42%

, 0.28%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

, 0.21% Native American, 0.07% Asian, and 1.03% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.31% of the population. There were 610 households, out of which 29.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.9% were

living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.9% were non-families. 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.88. In the village, the population was spread out, with 23.6% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 20.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.8 males. The median income for a household in the village was $30,903, and the median income for a family was $38,750. Males had a median income of $29,853 versus $21,058 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the village was $15,390. About 7.9% of families and 10.2% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 16.3% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Riverdale School District is the area school district.
Text list
- Shows that county's portion of the Village of Muscoda. Riverdale High School, which is part of the district, is in Muscoda.

References

External links

Muscoda, Wisconsin
* Sanborn fire insurance maps
1892189919041912
{{authority control Villages in Wisconsin Villages in Grant County, Wisconsin Villages in Iowa County, Wisconsin