In the rolling hills and pine-lined ridges of Western Wisconsin lies Monroe County — a place whose very name echoes the early heartbeat of the United States.
It is a name drawn from James Monroe, the fifth president, a Soldier-statesman whose life bridged the fragile birth of the nation and its confident stride into the 19th century.
To name a county on the American frontier after Monroe was no small gesture, as history shows. It was an act of remembrance and aspiration — a way of tying the raw, developing lands of Wisconsin to the ideals forged in the fires of the American Revolutionary War over 250 years ago.
Who was James Monroe?
The White House Historical Association’s biography for President Monroe states that he was considered the last “Founding Father” president.
“Monroe was born on April 28, 1758, into an affluent … family in Westmoreland County, Va.,” the biography states at https://www.whitehousehistory.org/bios/james-monroe. “His parents, Spence and Elizabeth Monroe, had aspirations for their eldest son, sending him to nearby Campbelltown Academy. James’ childhood changed dramatically when both of his parents passed away within two years of each other. Joseph Jones, who became a paternal surrogate for the Monroe children, encouraged James to continue his education by attending the College of William & Mary. Monroe enrolled but later left to enlist in the Continental Army’s Third Virginia Infantry Regiment.”
After the Revolutionary War, Monroe married Elizabeth Kortright in 1786, and the couple had three children together, the biography states.
“In terms of military, political, administrative, and diplomatic experience, James Monroe was one of the most qualified individuals to ascend to the presidency during the 19th century. He fought in the American Revolution and was wounded at the Battle of Trenton; served in the legislative bodies of the Virginia General Assembly and the United States Senate, as well as Governor of Virginia; held diplomatic posts across Europe for different administrations; and served as Secretary of State and Secretary of War (briefly acting in both capacities) during the James Madison administration.”
History shows Monroe also studied law with Thomas Jefferson.
“In fact, because of his relationship with Jefferson, Monroe purchased land adjacent to Monticello in Albemarle County, calling it Highland,” the biography states. This plantation was one of several properties that Monroe owned during his lifetime.”
Monroe’s history also shows what he helped accomplish in 1803. In that year, the biography states, “President Jefferson entrusted Monroe and Robert Livingston to acquire territory from France and secure access to the Mississippi River and the port of New Orleans. The men exceeded all expectations, acquiring New Orleans and some 828,000 square miles west of the Mississippi for $15 million.
“The Louisiana Purchase opened up new opportunities,” the biography states. “After the War of 1812, the United States experienced the ‘Era of Good Feelings’ — relative political peace, economic growth, and nationalist fervor. President Monroe invigorated this spirit with goodwill tours throughout the country and ensuring that the public buildings at Washington — including the President’s House — were restored after they were destroyed by the British.
“Working with Secretary of State John Quincy Adams, Monroe professed American sovereignty from European nations while asserting a national right of influence over the western hemisphere,” the biography states. “This idea, later called the ‘Monroe Doctrine,’ shaped the next century of international relations between the United States and the world, influencing American presidents and policymakers who sought to make the country a global power.”
Army ties to Monroe County
Jarrod Roll, director of the Monroe County Local History Room and Museum in Sparta, Wis., said through active research, a specific reason as to who decided to name Monroe County after the president cannot clearly be found.
“Wisconsin counties were typically named for U.S. presidents, prominent politicians, military figures, geographical features, or Native American associations,” Roll said. “Over the years we’ve tried to track down any explanation as to who suggested President James Monroe as the namesake of Monroe County, Wis., in 1854, but unfortunately, we found none. The oldest explanation we have for the naming is in 1902.”
Henry Gannett, “Origin of Certain Place Names,” in U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin No. 197 in Washington in 1902 states, “Monroe County, State of Wisconsin, was named for James Monroe, ex-president of the United States.”
Wisconsin isn’t the only state with a Monroe County. Nationally, Monroe County exists in 17 states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
But Wisconsin’s Monroe County is the only Monroe County with a major Army installation like Fort McCoy. Monroe had not merely governed; he had bled for independence with the Continental Army, crossing icy rivers with George Washington and enduring the brutal trials at Trenton (N.J.).
Army kinship with McCoy
His legacy was one of perseverance, expansion, and a belief that the United States was destined to grow and endure. And grow it did — westward, steadily — until places like Monroe County, Wis., emerged from forest and prairie.
Yet Monroe’s spirit did not remain confined to the name alone. It found a living presence in the soil itself, most notably, possibly, in Fort McCoy, a vast military installation that would come to define the county in the 20th century, and still in the 21st century.
Fort McCoy bears the name of Robert Bruce McCoy, a distinguished Army officer whose career reflected the evolving might and professionalism of the U.S. Army, which itself is more than 250 years old.
Where Monroe fought as a young officer in a fledgling Continental Army, McCoy served in a modern, organized force — one that had grown into a global instrument of American power and stability. And yet, across the span of more than a century, the two men share a striking kinship.
Monroe and McCoy were both shaped by service before recognition. Monroe, wounded in battle and tested in the crucible of revolution, carried those experiences into his presidency — where he would articulate the Monroe Doctrine, asserting America’s place on the world stage.
McCoy, too, rose through the ranks not by chance, but through steady dedication, leadership, and an understanding of the Army’s mission in a changing world. His name, affixed to the fort, represents not only his own service, but the countless Soldiers trained there — Citizen-Soldiers preparing to defend the same republic Monroe helped secure.
In Monroe County, their legacies intersect in a uniquely American way. The county’s name recalls the founding generation — men who fought for the very idea of the nation.
Fort McCoy represents the continuation of that idea — defended, trained, and renewed by each generation that followed. One symbolizes the birth of American independence; the other, its preservation. There is something poetic in that alignment.
Where Monroe once marched under uncertain skies, fighting for a nation not yet fully realized, Soldiers at Fort McCoy train under that nation’s flag — its stars now numbering 50, its strength unquestioned. The wilderness Monroe never saw became the proving ground for the Army he helped inspire.
And so, Monroe County stands as more than a place on a map. It is a living narrative — where the ideals of James Monroe meet the enduring service symbolized by Robert Bruce McCoy. From revolution to readiness, from musket to modern force, the story of Monroe County is, in many ways, the story of America itself.
Fort McCoy’s motto beginning in 2026 is “Training the Total Force and Shaping the Future since 1909.”
The installation’s mission: “Fort McCoy strengthens Total Force Readiness by serving as a training center, Mobilization Force Generation Installation, and Strategic Support Area enabling warfighter lethality to deploy, fight, and win our nation’s wars.”
And Fort McCoy’s vision is, “To be the premier training center supporting the most capable, combat-ready, and lethal armed forces.”
Located in the heart of the upper Midwest, Fort McCoy is the only U.S. Army installation in Wisconsin. The installation has provided support and facilities for the field and classroom training of more than 100,000 military personnel from all services nearly every year since 1984.
Learn more about Fort McCoy online at https://home.army.mil/mccoy, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” on Flickr at https://www.flickr.com/photos/fortmccoywi, and on X (formerly Twitter) by searching “usagmccoy.” Also try downloading the My Army Post app to your smartphone and set “Fort McCoy” or another installation as your preferred base. Fort McCoy is also part of Army’s Installation Management Command where “We Are The Army’s Home.”