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View of a Street in Monroe, 1875 ca.

A view of a cluttered Monroe street. The corner building later became Schuetze's Clothing Store. View the original source document: WHI 40204

Monroe is both the county seat and largest community in Green County. The town was named for President James Monroe.

Although officially incorporated in 1882, the first settlers began arriving around 1835 after the discovery of lead in the region. In addition to mining, early settlers were also attracted to the rich farmlands and river ways, including the Sugar and Pecatonica rivers.  

European immigrants came to populate the area by the 1860s, particularly those from Switzerland. The dairying knowledge that these Swiss settlers brought with them was crucial to a shift toward agriculture in the late 1800s. The rise of the dairy and cheese making industries in Monroe helped to foster that city's prosperity and make it famous as the "Swiss Cheese Capital of the United States."  

Today, the community's Swiss heritage is visible in much of the local architecture and in the strength of its cheese making industry. 

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• Monroe, Wisconsin

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Source: WHS Library-Archives Staff, 2009