[3] In the early 19th century, Polk was home to Potawatomi Native Americans, who surrendered the land to the United States Federal Government in 1833 through the 1833 Treaty of Chicago, which (after being ratified in 1835) required them to leave Wisconsin by 1838.

[6] One band of strolling Potawatomi travelled through Dodge, Jefferson, and Washington counties, and was led by Chief Kewaskum, who had a camp on Pike Lake, west of the Polk area.

[6] In 1843, William Williamson purchased forty acres of land and became the first white settler in the area.

Densmore Maxon was another early settler, arriving in 1844 to purchase forty acres along Cedar Creek and build one of the first sawmills in the area.

Baruch Schleisinger Weil arrived in 1845, purchasing nearly 2,000 acres and building a general store to supply settlers.

[3] In 1855, Weil worked to have the La Crosse and Milwaukee Railroad pass through the Polk with a large depot on his land in Schleisingerville (present-day Slinger).

The company's failure left the landowners with mortgages to pay off, creating a local crisis in which some families were forced to sell their farms.

[9] In the 20th and 21st centuries, the surrounding villages of Jackson, Richfield and Slinger, have annexed land from the town as they have grown and suburbanized.