The story
History
The area that became Janesville was the site of a Ho-Chunk village named Įnį poroporo (Round Rock) up to the time of Euro-American settlement. In the 1825 Treaty of Prairie du Chien, the United States recognized the portion of the present city that lies west of the Rock River as Ho-Chunk territory, while the area east of the river was recognized as Potawatomi land. Following the Indian Removal Act of 1830 and the Black Hawk War of 1832, both nations were forced to surrender this land to the United States.
American settlers John Inman, George Follmer, Joshua Holmes, and William Holmes Jr. built a crude log cabin in the region in 1835. Later that year, one key settler, Henry F. Janes, a native of Virginia who was a self-proclaimed woodsman and early city planner, arrived in what is now Rock County. Janes initially wanted to name the budding village "Blackhawk," after the famous Sauk leader, Chief Black Hawk, but was turned down by Post Office officials. After some discussion, it was settled that the town would be named after Janes himself and thus, in 1835, Janesville was founded.
Despite being named after a Virginian, Janesville was founded by old stock Yankee immigrants, descended from the English Puritans who settled New England in the 1600s. The completion of the Erie Canal caused a surge in New Englander immigration to what was then the Northwest Territory. Some of them were from upstate New York, and had parents who had moved to that region from New England shortly after the Revolutionary War. New Englanders, and New England transplants from upstate New York, were the vast majority of Janesville's inhabitants during the first several decades of its history. Land surveys encouraged pioneers to settle in the area among the abundance of fertile farmland and woodlands. Many of these early settlers established farms and began cultivating wheat and other grains.
Some of the key settlers hailed from the burned-over district of western New York State, (an area notable for being a part of the Christian revival movement known as the Second Great Awakening). Some of those in that revival movement were also active in the abolitionist and women's rights movements. One of the settlers in Janesville was William Tallman, who hailed from Rome, New York. Tallman came to the area in 1850 and bought up large tracts of land in hopes of inspiring his fellow New Yorkers to settle in the fertile Rock County. He established himself as one of the most influential and affluent members of the budding Janesville populace. He was passionate about the call for abolition and became a supporter of the Republican Party. One of the crowning moments in Tallman's life was when he convinced the up-and-coming Illinois Republican, Abraham Lincoln, to speak in Janesville in 1859. The Tallman house is now a historical landmark, and best known as "The place where Abraham Lincoln slept."
As the population grew in the Janesville area, several new industries began cropping up along the Rock River, including flour and lumber mills. The first dam was built in 1844.
Janesville was very active during the Civil War. Local farms sold grains to the Union army, and Rock County was one of the counties in Wisconsin with the highest number of men enlisted. Thomas H. Ruger, of Janesville, served in the war, along with his brothers, Edward, William, and Henry, and he rose to the rank of brigadier general. Ruger later served as military governor of Georgia, and commandant of West Point. He is memorialized at Fort Ruger in Diamond Head, Hawaii.
After the Civil War, Janesville's agriculture continued to surge and a greater demand for new farming technology led to the development of several foundries and farm machine manufacturers in the area, including the Janesville Machine Company, and the Rock River Iron Works. With the boom in the farm service sector and establishment of a rail system, Janesville soon began to ship goods to and from prominent eastern cities, including New York, Boston, and Philadelphia. After decades of rigorous grain farming, the soil quality around Janesville began to degrade. Farmers responded to this by planting tobacco, which became one of the most profitable and prolific crops grown in Wisconsin during the late 19th century.
Another development during the mid-19th century was the establishment of a women's rights movement in Janesville. The movement was founded in the 1850s and continued after the Civil War. One of the key focuses of the group during the 1870s was the Temperance movement.
Read the full text
In the late 1880s, German immigrants began to arrive in Janesville in large numbers (making up less than 5% of the town before this time). They were the largest non-English-speaking group to settle there. Unlike in some other areas, in Janesville, they experienced virtually no hostility or xenophobia. Janesville's founding English-Puritan-descended Yankee population welcomed them with open arms, with many writing back to relatives in Germany enthusiastically. This led to chain migration which increased the German population of the town. Only one German-language newspaper was founded in the town; it was known as The Janesville Journal, and began in 1889, printing for only a few years.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Milwaukee Road and Chicago and North Western railroads had freight and passenger rail connections to the city. Passenger rail service continued until 1971.
One of the key developments in Janesville's history was the establishment of a General Motors plant in 1919. The plant was initially established to produce Samson tractors, a company acquired by GM co-founder William C. Durant. Durant was encouraged by Joseph Craig, the president of Janesville Machine, to build a plant to produce the Samson tractors in Janesville, to which Durant agreed. In the years following World War I, the demand for tractors plummeted and the plant shifted its focus to the production of automobiles.
One of the most prominent turns of the century figures in Janesville was George Parker, who developed new pen technologies and styles and eventually established the Parker Pen Company. His developments included the "lucky curve" ink feed system and the "trench pen"—a pen commissioned by the U.S. Army for use in World War I. Parker designed and established a headquarters and factory in downtown Janesville. The Parker Pen Company was handed down to George's son, Ken, who developed the revolutionary "Parker 51" in the 1940s. A Parker pen was used by Dwight D. Eisenhower to sign Germany's Armistice agreement to end World War II in Europe, and subsequently General Douglas MacArthur used his 20-year-old Parker Duofold in the signing of Japan's surrender at the end of the War in the Pacific. The Parker Pen Company was one of the top employers in the area for over 70 years. The company was eventually sold off in a leveraged buyout in the 1980s.
Another important figure in Janesville's history was John Nolen, who was hired by the city in 1919. Nolen was a city planner who saw the Rock River as a focal point for community and park development. His park planning established Janesville as the "City of Parks."
Janesville was the site of the first Wisconsin State Fair in 1851, attended by approximately 10,000 people.
A tree that once stood in downtown Courthouse Park was the site of a lynch mob that, on their second attempt, having been rebuffed by an opposing crowd the day before, hanged a convicted murderer in 1859. Janesville had a "Peace Park" with a playground and a peace pole, which when constructed was the tallest in the world and is now the second tallest.
Janesville developed its first flag in 2015 in a design contest held in Janesville's schools. The flag represents the community's past, present, and future, with 1853 representing the year Janesville was incorporated, four stars symbolizing the city's four original wards, a green background standing for the community's agricultural industry, and black representing both the rich soil for which Janesville is known, and the smoke that billowed from smokestacks as the community developed a manufacturing economy. The tree in the center is the city's logo, representing Janesville's slogan, "Wisconsin's Park Place."
2024 estimate
As of the 2024 estimate, there were 66,428 people, 29,204 households, and _ families residing in the city. The population density was 1,917.45 inhabitants per square mile (740.3/km2). There were 30,223 housing units at an average density of 872.39 per square mile (336.8/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 86.8% White (85.3% NH White), 3.2% African American, 0.4% Native American, 1.6% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, _% from some other races and 5.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 6.2% of the population.
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, there were 65,615 people, 27,170 households, and 16,979 families in Janesville, with a population density of 1,920.81 inhabitants per square mile (741.6/km2). The median age was 39.8 years; 22.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.7% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 96.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.3 males age 18 and over.
98.8% of residents lived in urban areas, while 1.2% lived in rural areas.
Among households, 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 43.7% were married-couple households, 18.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 28.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 28,430 housing units at an average density of 832.26 per square mile (321.3/km2), of which 4.4% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.7%.
According to the American Community Survey estimates for 2016–2020, the median income for a household in the city was $55,914, and the median income for a family was $70,805. Male full-time workers had a median income of $50,034 versus $41,998 for female workers. The per capita income for the city was $30,041. About 8.1% of families and 11.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.9% of those under age 18 and 13.3% of those age 65 or over. Of the population age 25 and over, 93.1% were high school graduates or higher and 25.2% had a bachelor's degree or higher.
2010 census
As of the 2010 census, there were 63,575 people, 25,828 households, and 16,718 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,877.58 inhabitants per square mile (724.9/km2). There were 27,996 housing units at an average density of 826.82 per square mile (319.2/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 91.70% White, 2.57% African American, 0.29% Native American, 1.35% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.96% from some other races and 2.09% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 5.38% of the population.
There were 25,828 households, 30.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 46.6% were married couples living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.3% were non-families. 28.2% of all households were made up of individuals, with 10.6% individuals aged 65 years or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.95.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.8% under the age of 18, and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.1 years.
Parks and recreation
Janesville is known as "Wisconsin's Park Place". Its 2,590-acre (10.5 km2) park system includes 64 improved parks, as well as boat launches, golf courses, and nature trails. This is one of the highest acreages per capita in Wisconsin.
Janesville has a public, internationally themed botanical garden, Rotary Gardens, that was created from an abandoned sand pit.
Other major parks include Riverside Park, a recreational park along the Rock River including a golf course and a segment of the Ice Age Trail; Rockport Park, largely undeveloped, including the municipal swimming pool and Peace Park; Monterey Park, including the Big Rock, an early natural landmark signaling a good ford of the Rock River (and the namesake of the county, but not the river), as well as a sports stadium used by the school system; Lustig Park, used for a disc golf course; and Palmer Park, which includes a 9-hole golf course and CAMDEN Playground (an accessible play area, considered the largest accessible/integrated playground in the world and the most accessible/integrated playground). Most of the hiking and biking trails in the city are connected to the Ice Age Trail, which will eventually connect to the west with the Sugar River State Trail, north to Milton and Fort Atkinson and east to the Kettle Moraine State Forest.
Janesville also has a nearly 500-acre greenbelt system to provide areas for surface water runoff and habitat for a diversity of plants and animals.
From Wikipedia’s article on Janesville, Wisconsin, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4