History of Pleasant Valley, Town of Vermont, Wisconsin

There is a Pleasant Valley Road and a Pleasant Valley Conservancy, and according to the U.S.G.S. there is a Pleasant Valley, but there is no Pleasant Valley Creek in the Town of Vermont. (There is a Pleasant Valley Creek or Branch in the Pecatonica River watershed in the Town of Perry, Dane County.)

In scanning through old newspapers from the 1920s I discovered that at one time in our area there was a Pleasant Valley “community”, consisting of the folks who lived along East Blue Mounds Creek (County F and Pleasant Valley Road). This community name was also applied to the cheese factory that was at the corner of County F and Zwettler Road.

 From the Dane County News, Black Earth, Wisconsin, Friday, April 27, 1928

According to the Mount Horeb Historical Society (which keeps track of such things) the cheese factory operated from around 1880-1890 until 1928 as either the Kelliher or Pleasant Valley Cheese Factory. It burned in 1928 and in 1930 was rebuilt as the Pleasant Valley Cheese Factory.

This cheese factory continued in operation until the late 1960s. The building still exists but is now a residence. Fortunately, the historic sign also still exists.

I assume that the reason the U.S.G.S. gave the Pleasant Valley name to this area is because of the cheese factory, although the label itself follows the valley which encompasses Pleasant Valley Conservancy.

Descendants of the Helmenstine and Brunner mentioned in the newspaper article still live in this area. The name Booth mentioned in the article is connected with the Booth School whose building still exists on County F, although no longer a school. The George Lockwood farm is now Pleasant Valley Conservancy.

Photo by Kathie Brock taken 5 January 2016