Sauk Prairie is the nickname for the adjacent villages of Sauk City and Prairie du Sac,

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 twin communities are located on the west bank of the

Wisconsin River The Wisconsin River is the longest river in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, at approximately 430 miles (692 km) long. As a tributary of the Mississippi River, it is part of the Mississippi River System. The river's name was first recorded in 1673 b ...

in southeastern

Sauk County Sauk County is a county (United States), county in Wisconsin. It is named after a large village of the Sauk people. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 65,763. Its county seat and largest city is Baraboo, Wiscon ...

, where U.S. Highway 12 crosses the Wisconsin River. As of the 2020 census, the combined population of the two communities was 7,938. Although the communities share many commonalities and are often seen as parallel versions of each other, their relationship has sometimes been called a "rivalry" and even a "feud"."Old neighbors ponder wedlock," ''The Capital Times'', August 7, 1971, p. 11. Accessed December 23, 2012."Ambulance caught in villages' feud," ''Wisconsin State Journal'', January 25, 1985, sec. 3, p. 1. Accessed December 23, 2012. The consolidation of the two municipalities has been discussed a number of times over several decades but has never received approval. A merger effort in 1939 had too little support to hold a vote. Discussions beginning in 1970 led to a 1972 referendum on consolidation that was approved by voters in Prairie du Sac but rejected by those in Sauk City."Sauk-Prairie merger plan defeated," ''Wisconsin State Journal'', April 5, 1972, sec. 4, p. 4. Accessed December 23, 2012. In 1983, the Sauk City village board ended months of discussion by voting to table the consideration of a merger."Sauk City sinks merger with Prairie du Sac," ''Wisconsin State Journal'', March 11, 1983, sec. 3, p. 1. Accessed December 23, 2012. Again, in 1986, the Sauk City Board rejected a proposal to submit the consolidation to a referendum. An advisory referendum, in 1990, to merge the two communities was approved overwhelmingly by voters in both villages, but the binding referendum that followed was approved by only Prairie du Sac voters and was defeated by those in Sauk City."Merger pushed for Sauk Prairie," ''The Capital Times'', April 29, 1999, sec. B, p. 1. Accessed December 23, 2012."Sauk, Prairie vote for merger," ''Wisconsin State Journal'', February 21, 1990, sec. A, p. 1. Accessed December 23, 2012. Concerns raised in merger discussions include the cost to taxpayers, agreement on public works projects, and the sense of community identity. The communities operate several joint municipal services, including the Sauk Prairie Police Department, the ambulance service, and a water treatment plant."Sauk Prairie merger up for vote again," ''The Capital Times'', February 17, 1990, p. 21. Accessed December 23, 2012. The Sauk Prairie School District serves both villages. Area businesses and service organizations also use the name, including the local newspapers, the ''Sauk Prairie Star'' and the ''Sauk Prairie Eagle'', Sauk Prairie Hospital, Sauk Prairie Airport, Sauk Prairie Area Literacy Council, and the Sauk Prairie Area Chamber of Commerce. The villages maintain separate fire departments, sewage collection systems, and libraries. Sauk Prairie is immortalized in the '' Sac Prairie Saga'', a series of novels, short stories, journals, poems, and other works about the area and its residents written by local author

August Derleth August William Derleth (February 24, 1909 – July 4, 1971) was an American writer and anthologist. He was the first book publisher of the writings of H. P. Lovecraft. He made contributions to the Cthulhu Mythos and the Lovecraftian horror, cosmi ...

.Ken Grant,
''An August Derleth Reader'' review
" ''Wisconsin Academy Review'' (Winter 1993-94)

References

External links

Sauk Prairie website

Sauk Prairie Area Historical Society

Sauk Prairie Chamber of Commerce
{{coord, 43, 16, 55, N, 89, 43, 52, W, region:US-WI_scale:50000, display=title Geography of Sauk County, Wisconsin

See also

References

External links