History of Madison, WI

Glaciers were a huge environmental impact that shaped the land of Madison, WI. Madison's lakes were created when the glaciers retreated around 14,000 years ago, including Lake Mendota, Lake Monona, Lake Waubesa, and Lake Kegonsa. Glaciation also impacted soil development in and around Madison; glacial silt and clay made soils nutrient-rich and water retentive, which would later make for good agricultural use. After the Last Glacial Maximum, Paleoindians settled on the banks of Madison's lakes, and remnants of their tools, including spearpoints, have since been found. These people were representative of the Ho-Chunk tribe, which includes the land on which UW-Madison sits. The lakes were used for fishing and game was hunted in the surrounding areas. 

Upon European settlement in and around Madison, it quickly grew in size and became recognized as a city center. In 1836 Madison was chosen as the legislative capital of the state of Wisconsin, and within the next couple of decades, a schoolhouse and the first few buildings of UW Madison were built, along with residential development to support a growing population. As Madison became a highly-populated area, agriculture remained on the outskirts of the city so that the city center could continue to become populated and industrialized. 

The urban development and industrialization of Madison have had ecological consequences. The water quality of Madison's lakes has been impacted by human settlement and development. The use of nitrogen fertilizer in agricultural areas around Lake Mendota has increased nitrogen levels in the lake, which leads to harmful algal blooms. Also, Madison becoming a highly populated city created air pollution, as well as polluted runoff into Lake Mendota. The introduction of invasive species, such as zebra mussels, has also had a huge impact on native aquatic species. Zebra mussels compete with native aquatic species and have grown to a large population that is still problematic today. The four Madison lakes are connected as the water flows down from Lake Mendota to the other three, so these negative impacts affected all the lakes.