White settlement began after the government surveyed the land in 1849 and created a crossroads by building early state roads from Prairie du Chien to Hudson in 1849 and from Portage to La Crosse in 1851.

[6][7] The first recorded settlers were brothers Frank and William Petit, who opened a tavern near the crossroads in 1851.

[8] Their mother, recorded only as Mrs. Petit, named the settlement after the ancient Greek city-state of Sparta.

The La Crosse River and area creeks provided water power for early sawmills and gristmills, and the town attracted a variety of small manufacturers in the late nineteenth century.

Residents also promoted Sparta as a health resort after drilling artesian wells for mineral water in the 1860s.

[11] The current Monroe County Courthouse was built in Sparta in 1895, replacing an 1863 structure.

[12] The United States Army began to acquire land for training grounds near Sparta in 1905 and 1909.

[15] Sparta's location in the United States' upper midwest gives the area a temperate, continental climate.

Corp., Sparta Brush Company, McPherson Guitars, Multistack, Lake States Lumber, and Wesco Home Furnishings.

Incorporated on February 14, 1984, it was formed to raise funds and conduct fundraising projects for the advancement of the general welfare of the city of Sparta.

[22] Commuter bus service towards La Crosse or Tomah is provided three times daily per direction by Scenic Mississippi Regional Transit.

(See: List of intercity bus stops in Wisconsin) The Sparta/Fort McCoy Airport serves general aviation for the area.

Railroad tracks owned by Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) pass through Sparta, providing freight service.

It is a 32-mile (51 km) bike trail that was redeveloped from an abandoned railway and passes through rural scenery and three tunnels.