After being pursued from Illinois, Black Hawk's band took a stand against the militia just south of the Wisconsin River, in what is today the Town of Roxbury.

Five years later, Charles Floyd, an Eastern speculator, established a company whose goal was to build an exemplary city in the Midwest.

Then he drew up a map depicting streets, public buildings, and parks in what he called the "City of Superior", boasting that he would make the area known throughout the country.

[7] A settlement located across the Wisconsin River, in what is today Sauk City, was the impetus for the next development in Roxbury.

In 1840, Agoston Haraszthy, a colorful[8][9] nobleman and political refugee from Hungary, arrived in the United States.

Adelbert Inama, a Norbertine missionary originally from the Tirol in Austria, arrived in the area.

[6][7][11] Impressed with what he found, Inama extolled the virtues of Roxbury to his superiors in Austria: It lies in a district of the Wisconsin Territory as healthful as it is fruitful, on the elevated shores of the Wisconsin River, opposite Prairie du Sac, in the midst of mining districts, only 20 English miles from the capital, Madison, and well suited to become quickly and easily populated.

I certainly maintain that at present few localities can outdo the environs of Sac Prairie in fertility, variety, romantic beauty, and healthfulness of climate.

[12] Inama's active promotion of the area was instrumental in attracting immigrants, mostly from German territories, particularly Bavaria.

[5] Known as "the Apostle of the Four Lakes Region" because of his pioneering missionary work in the area,[13] Inama established the first Catholic church in Dane County in Roxbury.

[11] The remainder were sold to immigrants at cost, which was done to prevent speculators from preying on the naïve newcomers.

[4] Although many of the first settlers of Roxbury were Yankees, Inama's work attracted an element that was heavily German.

[11] Erected on a hill, the Romanesque Revival style church[16] is a stately edifice overlooking a small settlement below.

[15] It is graced by a large altar painting depicting St. Norbert and the allegory of life, which was donated to Inama in 1860 by King Ludwig I of Bavaria.

As a result, the town's most recent comprehensive plan addressed a number of issues, including growth and economic development; land use and preservation; agricultural, natural, and cultural resources; community facilities; and housing.

The Town of Roxbury occupies Township 9 North, Range 7 East of the fourth principal meridian.

[25] The land in the Town of Roxbury is hilly, with high limestone bluffs in the west adjoining the Wisconsin River.

A vineyard, the successor to one founded by Agoston Haraszthy, lies in the northwest, overlooking the Wisconsin River.