Editing Blanchardville, Wisconsin (section)

==History==
The community was originally settled by members of the [[Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite)]] in the early 1840s, who named it Zarahemla.<ref>[http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/dictionary/index.asp?action=view&term_id=3203 "Blanchardville (origin of place name)"] from the ''[[Dictionary of Wisconsin History]]'', which misspelled Zarahemla as Zarahemia.</ref><ref>[http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/dictionary/index.asp?action=view&term_id=11202&keyword=zarahemla "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Wisconsin"] from the ''[[Dictionary of Wisconsin History]]'', which mentions the correct spelling of Zarahemla.</ref> The Mormon settlers mined [[lead ore]] and farmed.<ref>[http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/dictionary/index.asp?action=view&term_id=12107&term_type_id=2&term_type_text=Places&letter=M "Mormons in Early Wisconsin (Historic Marker Erected 1992)"] from the ''[[Dictionary of Wisconsin History]]''</ref> Blanchardville's first mill was built in 1840.<ref>[http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/wlhba/articleView.asp?pg=1&id=4665 "Blanchardville Loses Old Mill Build in '40"] ''[[The Capital Times]]'', March 9, 1930.</ref>

[[File:Blanchardville, Decoration Day 1908.jpg|thumb|Main Street of Blanchardville on Decoration Day, 1908]]

In 1856, Alvin Blanchard moved to the area from his farm near [[Dodgeville, Wisconsin|Dodgeville]]. He purchased the mill on the Pecatonica river from the Mormons, who mostly left the area. Along with Cyrus Newkirk, he platted the village which currently bears his name in 1857.  The village received its first post office the next year.<ref>[http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/dictionary/index.asp?action=view&term_id=1118&term_type_id=1&term_type_text=People&letter=B "Blanchard, Alvin 1830 - 1910"] from the ''[[Dictionary of Wisconsin History]]''</ref> The [[Yankee]] settlers established a Methodist church in 1852. A Norwegian Lutheran congregation shared the church from 1864 until 1892 when their own separate church was built. The village's most prominent ethnic group is the Norwegians,<ref>"Ancestry Map of Norwegian Communities". Epodunk.com. Retrieved August 12, 2008.</ref> as the village is between the large historic Blue Mounds and Wiota Norwegian settlements. Yankee, Irish, Swiss, and German settlers were in the village also and in 1898 the first Catholic church was built. Nearby rural churches in the area included Norwegian Lutheran congregations in York, Yellowstone, and Adams townships, and an Irish Catholic congregation in Yellowstone as well.<ref name="ReferenceA">Blanchardville, Welcome Home: 125 Years of History</ref>

The village's main park, McKellar Park, was given to the village in 1930 by the wife of the most prominent village doctor, Dr. Archibald McKellar, after his death.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> Today the park is host to many activities including an annual car show and Fathers' Day Barbeque.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://blanchardville.com/|title=Home|website=Blanchardville Wisconsin}}</ref> The school district is Pecatonica Area Schools, formed after combining with the neighboring village of [[Hollandale, Wisconsin|Hollandale]] in 1971. The school mascot is the [[Viking]], in tribute to the strength of a Norwegian Heritage.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pecatonica.k12.wi.us/|title=Pecatonica Area School District|website=www.pecatonica.k12.wi.us}}</ref>