Muscoda
| Muscoda, Wisconsin | |
|---|---|
| Village | |
Downtown Muscoda
|
|
 Location of Muscoda in Grant County, Wisconsin. |
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| Coordinates: 43°10′29″N 90°28′20″W / 43.17472°N 90.47222°WCoordinates: 43°10′29″N 90°28′20″W / 43.17472°N 90.47222°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Wisconsin |
| Counties | Grant, Iowa |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.46 sq mi (3.78 km2) |
| • Land | 1.46 sq mi (3.78 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Elevation | 725 ft (221 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 1,299 |
| • Estimate (2016) | 1,249 |
| • Density | 889.7/sq mi (343.5/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| Area code(s) | 608 |
| FIPS code | 55-55225 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1583774 |
Muscoda is a village in Grant and Iowa counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 1,299 at the 2010 census. Of this, 1,249 were in Grant County and 50 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. Muscoda is the largest village in Grant County.
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. 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". The name was evidently taken from Longfellow's Hiawatha, in which it is mentioned several times:
"He had struck the deer and bison, On the Muskoday, the meadow"
and
"On the Muskoday, the meadow, On the prairie full of blossoms"
This is most likely how Muscoda earned its name, from the popular meaning of "Prairie of Flowers".
Muscoda has billed itself as the "Wisconsin's Morel Capital" since 1982 and hosts the "Morel 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.
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