Lyndon Station, WI

Lyndon Station sits in southeastern Juneau County between Wisconsin Dells and Mauston, with I-90/94 making the village easy to place on the modern map. Its older story began with Irish settlers from County Kildare, who reached the area in 1849 and helped give the surrounding township its first name. The Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad arrived in 1857, turning the settlement into a station town. In 1860, residents changed the village name from Kildare to Lyndon Station, partly to avoid confusion with the township. The railroad still runs through the history even though passenger service ended in 1969.

Some of the best local details are small ones: the Lyndon Independent lasted for two issues in 1888, Puffer’s Store shared telephone connections with Mauston and Kilbourne, and St. Mary’s parish built a frame church in 1863. Today the village sits within reach of Wisconsin Dells, Castle Rock Lake, and the recreation routes that run through central Wisconsin. The 2020 census counted 498 residents. Lyndon Station has the feel of a place built by a railroad, filled out by stores and churches, and carried forward after the trains stopped bringing passengers.