The Cheesy History of Wisconsin Began in Jefferson County

Did you know… our area of the state was settled by New Yorkers in the 1840s and 50s, and those New Yorkers were skilled dairy farmers with knowledge of commercial dairying and butter and cheese production?

Jefferson County is named not after Thomas Jefferson, as many people assume, but after Jefferson County, New York, on the northern border with Canada, where these settlers came from. Watertown, in northern Jefferson County, is named after Watertown, New York, the county seat of Jefferson County, New York.

Turning milk into cheese allowed it to last much longer, therefore becoming much more valuable. While we’re known as the Dairy State, it’s not the milk, butter, or ice cream produced here that catches the world’s attention, it’s the cheese. Cheesemaking in Wisconsin started right here in the Fort Atkinson/Koshkonong area, with Charles Rockwell. You can learn more it about here.

Many years ago, we heard the bad news that California had surpassed us as the nation’s dairy producer. Kind of a bummer when you’re the Dairy State! But we still hold first place in cheese production. More than two and a half BILLION pounds of cheese are produced in Wisconsin annually!

Here are some more “cheesy” facts:

• Wisconsin’s favorite cheese is Swiss Cheese. (See every state’s favorite here: https://www.zippia.com/advice/each-state-favorite-cheese/)
• About ten pounds of milk go into every pound of real cheese.
• Archaeological studies have shown the origin of cheese dates as far back as 7000-6000 BC. and was made from cow’s milk and goats in Mesopotamia.
• Gouda cheese accounts for 50-60% of the world’s consumption of cheese.
• There are 2,000 varieties of cheese!
• The biggest and heaviest cheese ever created was made of cheddar and was 32 feet long and weighed 57,518 pounds. It was made by a Canadian cheese maker, using 540,000 pounds of milk!
• Edam, a Dutch cheese from North Holland, never spoils, it only hardens as time goes by. This made it a popular product to bring on sea voyages and to remote colonies in the 14th and 18th centuries. So if you find a wheel of Edam today in one of these remote villages today, enjoy!
• Every two years, the best cheese makers in the world gather in Madison, Wisconsin for the World Championship Cheese Contest.
• The most award-winning cheeses in the world do not come from France, the Netherlands, Italy, Switzerland, or Germany, but from right here in Wisconsin. Carr Valley Cheese, a Wisconsin company, holds the record for the most award-winning cheeses in the world, with over 750 awards and counting!

Looking for some great spots around Jefferson County to experience authentic Wisconsin cheese? Try:

• Kraemer in Watertown
• Hoard’s Dairyman Farm Creamery in Fort Atkinson
• Jones Market in Fort Atkinson
• Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese in Waterloo

Want to learn more about farming and cheese? Come along with Wisconsin Foodie on this tour of the Hoard’s Dairyman Dairy Farm, to learn about their heavily decorated St. Saviour cheese, or contact them to arrange a guided tour.