The village of Mount Horeb was given its name by an Englishman, not by the Norwegians, as some “Norsk” people think.  George Wright was born in England in 1824.  A few months after his marriage in 1848, he was licensed as a lay minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church.  In that same year the Wrights emigrated to America.  In 1858, they moved to Blue Mounds Township to a farm home, way out on the prairie, about a mile and a half northeast on Military Road.  (present owner of that land at 9534 Highway S is Arnold Roth.)

Mr. Wright became active in Blue Mounds Township as it grew, serving as town treasurer and filling a term in the legislature.  He was assistant provost Marshall during the Civic War.  This activity led to his appointment as postmaster of the new post office, which was to serve settlers in the eastern part of the township.  In 1861, the office was located in his farm home and it was his privilege to give it a name.  After searching scriptures, he selected the name “Mount Horeb.”  He chose it from the many references to the “mounts” because of the high elevation of his land and the beauty of the surrounding area. 

In 1867, when the Wrights moved to Norwalk, IA, the post office was brought to the little settlement called the “Corners” which became “Horeb’s Corners,” and later “Mount Horeb” was recorded as the official name. 
–excerpt  Mount Horeb – Presettlement to 1986, a history celebration Mount Horeb’s Quasquicentennial.

In 1828 Ebenezer Brigham established himself at Blue Mounds and became Dane County’s first permanent white settler. 

In the 1830s Norwegian immigrants began arriving and setting up their farms.

1837 The Military Road was completed, at the expense of the United States Government, for the transportation of supplies from Fort Howard, the Army post in Green Bay, to Fort Winnebago, in Portage, and Fort Crawford at Prairie du Chien.  It was the main travel route between Madison, Blue Mounds and Dodgeville.

1849 James Morrison purchased a large tract of land from the government, much of which is the present site of Mount Horeb. 

1861 Mount Horeb was officially given its name by Englishman George Wright.

1866 entrepreneur George Barrows opened the first general store.

1881 Chicago and Northwestern Railway Company completed construction of a 60-mile standard gauge line from Madison to Lancaster.

1923 Dr. C.S. Gonstead opened his chiropractic clinic on Main Street.

1939 Cave of the Mounds was accidentally discovered on the Brigham Farm. Workers who were removing limestone from a quarry blasted into the Cave. The blast tore the face off the quarry and revealed a great underground tunnel. All quarrying stopped and was never resumed.

1969 Yoo Hoo, Inc., the manufacturer of a chocolate milk drink, moved to Mount Horeb.

1982 due to the deterioration of the railroad tracks and the increase of competition in the transportation industry the railway was abandoned.

Late 1980s  the bypass of USH 18-151 around the Village of Mount Horeb was completed.

1985 the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources transformed the abandoned railway into a 39-mile stretch trail for bicycling, hiking, snow-mobiling and cross-country skiing   The trail today is known as The Military Ridge Trail.

1993 trolls started appearing in the Village of Mount Horeb as a marketing concept to ensure that the 18/151 bypass did not lead to the dissolution of downtown Mount Horeb’s retail district- in fact, they facilitated its growth as a tourism destination.

Today Mount Horeb, with a population of 7,000 and growing, is rich with history and has maintained its link to the past with the preservation of its many cultural celebrations, historic buildings and homes.  Residents and visitors alike enjoy a small-town atmosphere which brings with it a spirit of community and neighborliness.