There were big dreams for this little hamlet in southwestern Wisconsin. Belmont was going to be Wisconsin’s capital city, the center of political power in the Dairy State. It was going to be a place filled with legislators and lobbyists and movers and shakers, a city that would produce laws and regulations, and be filled with dozens of state agencies and thousands of state employees.

Sadly, it wasn’t meant to be. Not everyone was sold on this little town as the location of the state capital. Read on to see what happened – and what’s left of this ghost town in Wisconsin.

For a period of time before Wisconsin was a state, it was named an official territory. About 12 years before Wisconsin was a state, the Wisconsin Territory was created by a bill signed on April 20, 1836, by President Andrew Jackson. He appointed a man named Henry Dodge as governor.

At the time, the Wisconsin territory included the area that would become Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, and parts of North and South Dakota. It had a population of about 22,000 people. Because of the lead mining near Belmont, this was the most populated area.

Belmont’s time as the state capital was short lived. The territorial legislature met for just 46 days. A building that was built to house the Supreme Court was never used.

Meanwhile, a lawmaker named James Doty lobbied hard to have the capitol relocated to land he owned in an area that would become Madison.

He was successful. After the legislature concluded its first and last session in Belmont in December 1836, Madison was named the new capitol. The money and the power moved east, where it remains today.

Belmont was never quite the same. Businesses and people left and the town moved about three miles to the south, near the railroad tracks. The Council House was turned into a livestock barn.

Fortunately, in 1910 the Wisconsin Federation of Women’s Clubs began a campaign to save what was left of the old capitol and today it’s preserved as a historic site – you can enter the old buildings and imagine what was once here. Admission is free. Learn more about the site on the Belmont website. If you enjoy exploring Wisconsin history, here are some more interesting places worth visiting.