Merrimac, WI

The Town of Merrimac occupies the north shore of Lake Wisconsin in Sauk County and includes the Village of Merrimac, the unincorporated community of Moon Valley, and part of the Lake Wisconsin census-designated place. The 2020 census counted 1,247 residents in the town. The place is best known for the Colsac III, Wisconsin's free state-run ferry, which carries vehicles across Lake Wisconsin from roughly April through November. That crossing is a practical part of the town's geography and a working connection across the water.

The village grew through the ferry and post office: Chester Mattson operated the first ferry in 1884, the community passed through names including Matt's Ferry and Merrimack, and the village incorporated in 1899. Memorial Park provides a playground, picnic tables, and pavilion, and the Merrimac Community Festival returns each August. The wider town retains the rural roads and scattered communities around the village, so daily life is split between lake traffic, local civic events, and the larger landscape on both sides of the water.