This town was located at the head of Lake St. Croix, on the west side, on unsurveyed government lands, known as "Joe Brown's Claim." When the Wisconsin legislature of 1840 made this the county seat of St. Croix county it was named Dakotah. JUDGE IRWIN'S COURT IN 1840. The first district court north of Prairie du Chien was called at Dakotah, St. Croix county. This county had been assigned to Judge Irwin's district (Green Bay). The time assigned for the court was June, 1840. Judge Irwin wended his way up Fox river to the portage, down the Wisconsin to Prairie du Chien, up the Mississippi to St. Paul, and across from St. Paul to Dakotah with guides. At Dakotah the regular officers were all absent, but he found at the court house two young men named Brown and six Frenchmen from St. Paul and Little Canada, summoned as jurors by Sheriff Lawrence. Judge Irwin remained one night, slept in deer skins in the county building, subsisting meanwhile on venison and bear steak. No calendar was to be found and the judge and jurors left for home. The first commissioners' meeting was held Oct. 5, 1840. At this meeting much important work was done. An acre of ground at the county seat was selected for county buildings. A contract to erect a court house according to specifications was let to J. R. Brown, he to receive for the same eight hundred dollars. The parties agreed upon a deed or conveyance of ground, a synopsis of which we append. The conveyance cites and reiterates a Wisconsin legislative law establishing St. Croix county, giving to the people the right to locate the county seat by vote and to the county commissioners power to erect county buildings, the selected location to be the permanent seat of justice of said county. It further provides that the county commissioners shall carry into effect the law of Congress of the United States, entitled "An act granting to counties or parishes, in which public lands are situate, the right of pre-emption to one-fourth section of land, for seats of justice within the same." Approved May 20, 1824. It then cites the vote taken Aug. 5, 1840, locating the county seat at "Brown's warehouse, at the head of Lake St. Croix." Further conditions are set forth in compliance with the law, confirming the location on Joseph R. Brown's land claim. This is the first recorded deed in St. Croix county. Thirty dollars was allowed to J. R. Brown and W. B. Dibble, each, for carrying election returns to Prairie du Chien. The first abstract of votes polled in St. Croix county was for delegate to Congress and for county officers. For delegate to Congress the following vote was cast: Henry Dodge, seventeen; Jonathan E. Arnold, ten. Samuel Burkelo, Hazen Mooers and W. B. Dibble were elected county commissioners; William Holcombe, county treasurer and register of deeds; Phineas Lawrence, sheriff; J. R. Brown, county clerk and clerk of court, and Philander Prescott, assessor.