The Fox River, an Illinois River tributary, rises in a small, unnamed swamp, 1 mi (1.6 km) southeast of the community of Colgate.[6] The Bark River also originates to the north and runs in a southwesterly direction.
County Road Q, also known as County Line Road, is the main road in Colgate, and runs East-West along the border between Washington and Waukesha counties. It was formerly called Main Street.[8][7]
History
Colgate was known as Colgate Station at first.[8] It was named after James Colgate, a construction engineer for the rail line that still runs through the community.[8]
The post office was established January 11, 1887,[8] with its first postmaster being Andrew Ennis, Sr.[9][10] It operated out of the railroad depot on the Lisbon side of Colgate.[11] Ennis was appointed on July 21, 1887.[12] August B. Henshell was appointed postmaster in 1889.[13] On August 30, 1898 Henshell was replaced by Max Manthey.[14] Manthey owned the general store and was a supervisor on the Lisbon Town Board.[8] On October 1, 1898 the post office relocated to the general store,[11][15] which was also on the south side (Lisbon side) of the road.[7] A cross-street on this side was named Wagner Street in his honor, which is now called Short Road.[7] This also had a cross street called Melville Street, which no longer exists.[7]
The night of October 16, 1901, two Chicago-bound freight trains collided on the Wisconsin Central Railway tracks between Colgate and Rugby Junction. Two cars derailed, but no injuries were reported.[16]
On December 8, 1902 a fire broke out in the general store.[17] Manthey, his spouse, seven children, and a servant were asleep at the time.[17] Only Ms. Manthey and two of their children survived.[17][8] The Manthey general store had also been destroyed by fire in the previous year.[7]
The post office/general store was rebuilt December 15, 1903,[8][18] this time on the northern (Washington County) side of the road.[7]Theodore Roosevelt appointed Frank E. Stirn as postmaster.[19]
On April 28, 1934, a 1929 coupe allegedly carrying members of the Dillinger Gang was seen in a Colgate garage, less than a week after the gang was spotted in Manitowish Waters.[20]
Frank Stirn resigned as postmaster in 1946 and his spouse Elfrieda was appointed to the role by postmaster Robert E. Hannegan.[19] She had the position until 1966.[8][19]
The 20th Alice in Dairyland, crowned in 1967, was Kristin Williams of Colgate.[21] The occasion resulted in the biggest parade the community has ever had, consisting of 89 vehicles proceeding what was then still called Main Street (now County Line Road/County Road Q).[8][7]
Around 5:00AM on December 30, 1967, a house fire broke out in Colgate.[22][23] Forty firefighters from surrounding communities responded, and Robert Pickhard from the Richfield Volunteer Fire Company lost his life battling the blaze.[22][23][24] He is the only firefighter in the company's history to die in the line of duty.[22]
In 1983 turkeys were rare enough in the area that when a friendly hen adopted downtown Colgate as her home, it made news.[8][27] Postmaster Burton witnessed the bird's death from a hit and run collision in November of that year.[5]
In November 1987, the former Stirn General Store and Post Office caught fire after standing for 84 years. Firefighters from Lisbon and Richfield put out the blaze, but the building was destroyed. The post office had already been moved to its current building to the east of where the fire was.[8]
In 2018, echoing events of 35 years earlier, there were several cougar sightings in the area.[1][28] Three sightings were in Colgate,[29][28] and it is likely that all the sightings were of a single individual from South Dakota.[1]
Management of the Colgate Post Office
Though many businesses have operated through the years there, the one constant is the post office. Though a number of businesses still operate in the Colgate ZIP Code of 53017, the post office is the only non-residential establishment still open in downtown Colgate.[8]
On May 18, 2013, the Colgate post office was converted to a Remotely Managed Post Office.[25] It no longer has its own postmaster and operates under the direction of the postmaster of the Hubertus Post Office.[25]
^ abcdefghKeller, Fred (Summer 1999). Schoenknecht, John M. (ed.). "Colgate, Wisconsin: Fire". Landmark. 42 (2). Waukesha, WI: Waukesha County Historical Society: 26–29. ISSN0458-6972. OCLC4969800.
^ abcdefghijklKeller, Fred (Winter 2004). Schoenknecht, John M. (ed.). "Colgate: A Road Bump with History". Landmark. 47 (4). Waukesha, WI: Waukesha County Historical Society and Museum: 22–23. ISSN0458-6972. OCLC4969800.
^ abThe Wisconsin State Register. Portage, Wisconsin: Rockwood & Goodell. January 15, 1887. p. 2 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/69199150/andrew-ennis-sr-new-postmaster-of/. Archived from the original on February 13, 2021. Retrieved February 7, 2021. Six new post offices have been established in Wisconsin and postmasters appointed as follows: Colgate Waukesha county Andrew Ennis, Sr....{{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
^Van Ryzin, Jerry (October 15, 1952). "Waukesha, Mukwanago Post Offices Started in 1837". Waukesha Daily Freeman. Waukesha, Wisconsin. p. 16. Archived from the original on January 12, 2023. Retrieved February 7, 2021. Colgate (Washington county, formerly Waukesha) – Established Jan. 11. 1887. First postmaster, Andrew Ennis, Sr.
^ ab"Wisconsin Postmasters". The Weekly Wisconsin. Milwaukee. June 8, 1889. p. 5. Archived from the original on January 12, 2023. Retrieved February 7, 2021. August B. Henshell will be appointed postmaster at Colgate, Waukesha County
^ ab"Wisconsin Postmasters". The Weekly Wisconsin. Milwaukee. September 3, 1898. p. 4. Archived from the original on January 12, 2023. Retrieved February 7, 2021. Washington, D. C.. Aug. 30.—[Special.]—Fourth-class Wisconsin postmasters appointed today: Colgate, Waukesha county. Max Manthey, vice A. B. Henshell removed;
^The Waukesha Freeman. Waukesha, WI. October 6, 1898. p. 6. Our post office was removed Oct 1st to itsnew quarters. Max Manthey will act as postmaster vica A. B. Henschel{{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
^"Central is Tied up". The Herald. Readstown, Wisconsin. October 24, 1901. p. 3. Archived from the original on January 12, 2023. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
^ abc"Tragic Deaths in Badger Fire". The Journal Times. Racine, Wisconsin. December 8, 1902. p. 1. Archived from the original on February 14, 2021. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
^"[Wisconsin license number 10649...]". Marshfield News-Herald. Vol. 14, no. 46. Marshfield, Wisconsin. April 28, 1934. p. 1. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
^"Alice in Dairyland Alumni". Alice in Dairyland. Madison, Wisconsin: Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. Archived from the original on February 7, 2021. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
^"Fireman Killed In Richfield Fire". The La Crosse Tribune. La Crosse, Wisconsin. December 31, 1967. p. 2. Archived from the original on January 12, 2023. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
^ ab"Confirm State Postmasters". Wausau Daily Herald. Wausau, Wisconsin. January 18, 1969. p. 12. Archived from the original on January 12, 2023. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
^"Turkey Antics". Fond du Lac Commonwealth Reporter. Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. November 4, 1983. p. 1. Archived from the original on February 14, 2021. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
^Wiedenhoeft, Jane E.; Gross, Matt; Walter, Scott (2019). "Rare Carnivore Observations 2018"(PDF). Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Madison, WI. Archived from the original(PDF) on January 23, 2021. Retrieved February 14, 2021.