Butler, Wisconsin is a village named after William Butler (1794-1856), an early landowner and settler in Waukesha County. It is located approximately 13 miles northwest of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and approximately 100 miles northwest of Chicago, Illinois.
William Butler Immigration to America
William was born in Hillam, Yorkshire, England. He immigrated from Liverpool with his wife, Sarah Mary Longbottom (1800-1881), and several children aboard the Montezuma, Black Ball Line, on May 1, 1844. They arrived in New York on May 31.
From New York, William and his family made their way to Milwaukee, Wisconsin arriving on June 20, 1844. They bought 120 acres in the northeast corner of the town of Lisbon, Wisconsin and William began farming. The family was prominent in the local community and early town meetings were often held at the family’s home.
“Train Town USA”
In 1909, representatives from the Milwaukee, Sparta, and North Western Railway offered to buy farmland in the area that William and his family helped settle. They wanted to use the land to build a railroad yard to relieve freight congestion in downtown Milwaukee. Plans called for 21 tracks that could hold 1,525 cars. It would become one of the largest and most expensive railway projects in the Midwest at that time.
On May 5, 1913, the town named after William Butler was constituted as a village with a population of about 200 people, mostly railroad workers, and their families.
As developers and real estate investors bought more acreage for future development based on the activity generated by the railroad yard, the small community grew steadily. Railroad passenger service began in the summer of 1913, providing a new form of transportation for town residents. The “Shop Train,” as it was known, was the principal connector to downtown Milwaukee’s retail shopping sector.
Today, Butler is an incubator for business and industry and is home to Cargill, Western States Envelope, Molded Rubber and Plastic, and many other companies. It continues to celebrate and promote its roots as “Train Town USA” in the area settled by William Butler and his family.
The Family of William Butler
William and Sarah Butler’s children included:
1. George Butler (1823-1858)
2. William F. Butler, Jr. (1826-1900)
3. Thomas Butler (1828-1912)
4. Elizabeth Butler Jarvis (1830-1900)
5. Martha Sarah Butler Brown (1833-1893)
6. John Butler (1835-1911)
7. James O. Butler (1840-1923)
Woodside Elementary School in Sussex, Wisconsin is located on land that once belonged to William Butler.
Butler, Wisconsin (population 96) is also the name of a town in Clark County, Wisconsin.
Primary Sources:
- Village of Butler – Encyclopedia of Milwaukee. (2020, March 13). Encyclopedia of Milwaukee; emke.uwm.edu.
- About Butler – Village Of Butler. (n.d.).
