10 Oldest Towns in Wisconsin That Still Exist

0:00 A countdown of 10 of the oldest towns in Wisconsin that still exist today. 1:21 Belmont 3:27 Portage 5:34 Cassville 7:43 Shoalsburg 9:38 Mineral Point 11:37 Kaukauna 13:45 Prairie du Chien 16:03 De Pere 18:02 Green Bay 20:38 La Pointe What happens when a town loses a capital, a fort, a mine, or far more? I count down 10 of the oldest towns in Wisconsin that still exist today, following the stories that shaped Belmont, Portage, Cassville, Shoalsburg, Mineral Point, Kaukauna, Prairie du Chien, De Pere, Green Bay, and La Pointe. I explore territorial capitals, river portages, lead mining, French missions, historic forts, disputed founding dates, and the remarkable objects and buildings that survived. Along the way, I look at the silver ostensorium found in De Pere, the first recorded land deed in Wisconsin, and the stories behind Wisconsin's Badger nickname. The countdown ends at La Pointe on Madeline Island, where the 1850 removal order and the Sandy Lake tragedy became one of the most painful chapters in Upper Midwest history. These towns are still lived in today, carrying histories that are anything but frozen in time.