Welcome to the Cheyenne Settlers Heritage Park in Hillsboro, Wisconsin—a site steeped in rich history and pioneering spirit. This park marks the location of Cheyenne Valley, Wisconsin’s largest rural African American settlement in the 19th century. Established in the mid-1800s, the community was a haven for nearly 150 African American settlers who moved north with the help of the Quakers, escaping the oppressive conditions of the southern United States before the Civil War.
The first settler, Walden Stewart, arrived in 1855. Stewart, born free in North Carolina, was soon followed by other families, including the Bartons, Revels, Roberts, Waldrons, and Basses. By 1870, the community had grown to include 11 Black families and about 62 residents, creating a vibrant and diverse farming community.
One of the notable figures from Cheyenne Valley was Alga ‘Algie’ Shivers, who built and designed numerous round barns in Vernon County, a unique architectural feature of the area. Algie’s father, Thomas Shivers, was another influential resident who migrated from Tennessee in 1879 and became a prominent landowner.
Cheyenne Valley was not only home to African American settlers but also a place where they coexisted with European immigrants, establishing some of the state’s first integrated schools and churches. This multi-racial community became a model of cooperation and integration in a time when racial tensions were high elsewhere in the country.
Over time, changes such as the advent of the automobile and economic shifts led to a decline in the rural population. However, the legacy of Cheyenne Valley lives on in the stories of those who called it home and the historical marker established in 1997 by the Wisconsin Historical Society. Today, Cheyenne Settlers Heritage Park invites visitors to explore this fascinating chapter of Wisconsin’s history, where the past is not forgotten but celebrated.
