Buffalo County Historical Society, Inc.

Buffalo County Historical Society, Inc. Founded in 1980, the Buffalo County Historical Society collects, preserves, and shares our history.

Explore the Buffalo County Historical Society's resources, including a vast collection of documents and photographs. We have:
• Over 270 family histories on file
• The Buffalo County Journal, Cochrane-Fountain City Recorder, and the Mondovi Herold on microfilm to view
• Over 2500 local obituaries
• Collection of books about Buffalo County history and early settlers
• Buffalo County Plat Books and

Pictorial Atlases
• Letters, journals, and diaries
• Buffalo County cemetery and church records
• And more
Due to limited time and staff, we have a $20.00 per hour research fee. We do a brief initial search (approximately 15 minutes) for free, to determine whether or not we have relevant resources. We do not read microfilm for obituaries unless the death date is known. Photocopies are 25 cents per page, plus postage if we are mailing them to you.

Legion Beach, Alma, Wisconsin. Circa 1936.
06/20/2026

Legion Beach, Alma, Wisconsin. Circa 1936.

There is more than one way to get the job done. The old meets the new.
06/19/2026

There is more than one way to get the job done. The old meets the new.

In the early 1900s, virtually all of the Mississippi River bottomland was viewed as public property, even if it was priv...
06/18/2026

In the early 1900s, virtually all of the Mississippi River bottomland was viewed as public property, even if it was privately owned.

One day, a wealthy grocer from Winona, Minnesota, John A. Latsch, was canoeing on the river when a storm blew up. He quickly paddled to a landing called Camp Glory, overturned his canoe, crawled under it and planned to wait out the storm. But farmer John Shamong, his dog barking at his side, confronted Latsch and ordered him off the land. The merchant complied.

Latsch was deeply shaken by the incident. The next morning, he ordered his business agent to buy all the land on which the incident occurred. That agent did and a conservation career was born.

By the time Latsch died in 1934 at age 73, he had bought more than 18,000 acres valued at more than $2 million. Basically, he bought most of the bottomland from Whitman to Homer, Minnesota, a distance of about 20 miles.

The 266 acres Latsch gave the state of Wisconsin in 1919 and 1921 formed the core of Merrick State Park.

06/17/2026

Summer is time for picnics!

In 2016, Ms. Averie Clark purchased a quilt at the York Quilt Guild Show in York, PA. Ms. Clark had no history or story ...
06/17/2026

In 2016, Ms. Averie Clark purchased a quilt at the York Quilt Guild Show in York, PA. Ms. Clark had no history or story for this unique textile. The blocks were signed by the quilters with their names and locations. The purpose of this quilt remains a mystery. She discovered close connections to Buffalo County, Wisconsin, especially the Cochrane area.

"I was intrigued to know more about the women who embroidered their names on the blocks for the quilt. Since town names and state initials were also embroidered on each block, I was even more interested to figure out the story behind the quilt and how the piece made its way to Pennsylvania."

Many names on the quilt are still found in this area today. Ms. Clark and the Buffalo County Historical Society have begun researching the names and are working to assemble a story and timeline for the quilt. Most of the women who contributed had close ties to Buffalo County and were born in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Many contributors were related. One block references Grandma Hammer and another the date March 1951.

A short list of contributors appears to have no direct ties to Buffalo County, yet their names are found on the quilt. One block contributed by Maggie Fink Newman includes “auf weidersehen,” which translates to “goodbye.”

If you have any information that may help answer questions about its history, please contact the Buffalo County Historical Society at 608-685-6290 or email [email protected].

Names found on the quilt:

Anne Alan
Magdalene Brueen Auerswald
Myrtle Schlosstein Aumiller
Mactalana Tillman Balk
Irene Schultz Balk
Alwina Knospe Bollinger
Delia Hammer Fetting
Lena Stuber Fetting
Bertha Heuer Fetting
Elda Foelsch
Milda Foelsch
Bertha Hammer Florin
Doris Gutzmann
Selma Gueltzow Hendricks
Lorena Fetting Heuer
Mabel Pfaff Heuer
Clara Knospe Fetting
Adelheide Fetting Knospe
Louisa Koehler Krackow*
Mary Duerkop Kuehn
Mrs. William Langhans
Margaret Semling Lisowski
Anna Stuber Lowenhagen
Lorena Hofer Meili
Louisa Reglin Mohnk
Maggie Fink Newman
Nancy Gustafson Nordberg
Mrs. C. G. Peterson
Mabel Schlosstein Rediske
Sophia Rahm Reglin
Selma Steiner Roessler
Catherine Ammann Salwey
Mary Ille Schlosstein
Carrie Lehman Schumacher
Florence Stuber Spieth
Minnie Miller Steiner
Alice Fetting Stettler
Pearl Hauser Stuber
Mabel Maier White
Getrude Zimmerman
Wilhelmina Zimmerman
Pauline Ruedy Zirzow

Misha Mokwa store, circa 1897. The building was moved to Nelson in 1956 and was the home of the Nelson Rod and Gun Club...
06/16/2026

Misha Mokwa store, circa 1897. The building was moved to Nelson in 1956 and was the home of the Nelson Rod and Gun Club. The building still stands as a private residence.

Tornado damage, Eagle Valley, October, 1903.
06/15/2026

Tornado damage, Eagle Valley, October, 1903.

Flag Day is a holiday celebrated on June 14 in the United States. It commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United...
06/14/2026

Flag Day is a holiday celebrated on June 14 in the United States. It commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States on June 14, 1777, by resolution of the Second Continental Congress. The Flag Resolution stated, "That the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation."

Flag Day was first proposed in 1861 to rally support for the Union side of the American Civil War. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a presidential proclamation that designated June 14 as Flag Day. On August 3, 1949, National Flag Day was officially established by an Act of Congress.

Address

407 S 2nd Street
Alma, WI
54610

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 4pm
Wednesday 9am - 4pm
Friday 9am - 4pm

Telephone

+16086856290

Website

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