Sauk City, Wisconsin
| Sauk City, Wisconsin | |
|---|---|
| Village | |
 Location of Sauk City, Wisconsin |
|
| Coordinates: 43°16′27″N 89°43′42″W / 43.27417°N 89.72833°WCoordinates: 43°16′27″N 89°43′42″W / 43.27417°N 89.72833°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Wisconsin |
| County | Sauk |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.72 sq mi (4.45 km2) |
| • Land | 1.52 sq mi (3.94 km2) |
| • Water | 0.20 sq mi (0.52 km2) |
| Elevation | 741 ft (226 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 3,410 |
| • Estimate (2012) | 3,444 |
| • Density | 2,243.4/sq mi (866.2/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| Area code(s) | 608 |
| FIPS code | 55-71650 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1573732 |
| Website | http://www.saukcity.net |
Sauk City is a village in Sauk County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 3,410 at the 2010 census. The first incorporated village in the state, the community was founded by Agoston Haraszthy and his business partner, Robert Bryant. The village is adjacent to Prairie du Sac; together, these twin villages are referred to as Sauk Prairie.
Impressed by the beautiful scenery, Agoston Haraszthy, a charismatic Hungarian sometimes called "Count" Haraszthy, purchased a small plot of land along the Wisconsin River in 1840. Later, with his English-born business partner, Robert Bryant, Haraszthy bought additional land and founded the town of Haraszthy (originally called Széptáj, Hungarian for "beautiful place"). The name of the town was changed to Westfield in 1849 and to Sauk City in 1852. The community was incorporated as a village in 1854, making Sauk City the oldest incorporated village in the state.
German immigrants founded the Sauk City Free Congregation (Freie Gemeinde) in 1852. This group, a liberal religious society, also celebrated German music, literature and culture. It met in a private home until 1884, when Park Hall was built as a meeting house. The building is now home to the Sauk County Free Congregation, a Unitarian Universalist fellowship.
In the Harper's Weekly magazine of November 21, 1914, Sauk City was named "America's Foremost City." The article cited a pageant, attended by 4000 people, which enacted scenes from the village's history, and concluded with the naming of the school principal as the Civic Secretary, charged with making the school the center of the life of the town. To that end, the ballot box was transferred from the town hall to the school house.
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