Stoughton was founded in 1847 by Luke Stoughton, a Yankee from Vermont. Stoughton bought a large plot of land in Wisconsin Territory (since Wisconsin wouldn’t become a state until 1848) and began to plot a town.
Stoughton built a mill using the power of the Yahara River. The small town began to grow as Norwegian immigrants began to pour into town beginning in 1865 searching for work. Stoughton Wisconsin is the birth place of the coffee break, community television and the world famous Stoughton High School Norwegian Dancers. Located on the scenic Yahara River, Stoughton is just minutes away from the state capitol of Madison Wisconsin. Stoughton is a beautiful community with its many historic neighborhoods, and it’s gorgeous historic downtown.