Since the earliest Paleolithic camp sites along Lake Koshkonong to the modern city of today, our area has been "home" for thousands of years.
Fort Atkinson gets its name from General Henry Atkinson. In July 1832, he directed his troops to build Fort Koshkonong on the banks of the Rock River where it joins the Bark River. The Black Hawk War had begun a few months earlier when the Sauk warrior, Black Hawk, and his followers crossed the Mississippi River into Illinois in an attempt to return to their ancestral homeland. After clashing with the Illinois militia, Black Hawk led his people north along the Rock River into what is now Wisconsin. Black Hawk was pursued by federal and militia forces commanded by General Atkinson, who decided to build a fort to serve as a supply post for his troops. Soon after the fort was built, it was abandoned as the war moved to the west when Black Hawk made a dash for the Mississippi River.
Land speculator, Dwight Foster, recycled some of the logs from the stockade into one of the early homes in this area. A state historical marker indicates the approximate location of Fort Koshkonong and is visible on East Milwaukee Avenue within city limits. A reproduction of the log stockade is located at Rock River Park, off of Riverside Drive, west of Fort Atkinson.