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- Soldiers Grove -
A Crawford County Community
Desoto | Eastman |
Ferryville |
Gays Mills |
Prairie du Chien | Seneca |
Soldiers Grove |
Wauzeka
 Settlement
came to the Kickapoo area in the first half of the 19th century. Much of the
land had been deeded to army veterans. Pine Grove was the name originally
given to the village, because of the large local groves of white pines. The
name was changed to Soldiers Grove in 1867 to honor the soldiers who had
camped in the area during the 1832 Blackhawk War. The first building in the
village was a sawmill built by J.H. Brightman in 1856. Ten years later
Samuel Hutchins built a general store and the village was legally platted.
Agriculture has been a mainstay in and around Soldiers
Grove ever since the village's origin. Wheat farming gave way to dairy
farming, tobacco, and apple orchards. More recently the growing of organic
foods of all types has become profitable.
The history of Soldiers Grove is filled with stories
of Kickapoo River floods. The last big flood occurred in 1978 and led to a
federally funded relocation of the commercial section of Soldiers Grove. The
US Department of Energy still regards the building of Soldiers Grove "Solar
Town" as a prime example of what community planning can accomplish in energy
savings. More than twenty new buildings were constructed and were provided
with solar heating systems.
The former commercial area was transformed into a
large public area which includes sports fields, pavilion, horse show area,
playground, camping area, and a beautiful Veterans' War Memorial. Soldiers
Grove is also home to the Region 5 Congressional medal of Honor Wall,
celebrating the heroism of more than 600 Medal of Honor recipients from
eleven Midwestern states.
Today Soldiers Grove is home to 600 enterprising,
outdoors loving residents. The area provides breathtaking scenery and
outstanding opportunities to hunt, fish, canoe, and bike.
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