Merrimac Mutual Insurance Company was established on November 25, 1873, and Lodi Mutual Fire Insurance was established on March 28, 1877. For over 130 years the company’s business was conducted out of the homes of the Secretary. On October 1, 2008, the two companies merged under the name of Merrimac Lodi Mutual Insurance Company. Berry & Roxbury Mutual Insurance Company of Cross Plains started in 1873.  They merged into Merrimac Lodi Mutual on January 1, 2023 under the current name of Wisconsin River Mutual Insurance Company and are now renting office space in Prairie du Sac, WI. The company has two full-time employees- General Manager and Administrative Assistant and they currently write business in Columbia, Grant, Sauk, Dane, Iowa, Richland, Juneau, Rock and Green counties.

In the mid to late 1800s, farmers could not afford (or the cost was too prohibitive) to purchase property insurance on their residence, personal property, and outbuildings. In those days, stock insurance companies felt that if there was a farm fire, it would most probably be a total loss by the time the fire department arrived on the scene. Therefore, they were reluctant to insure farm property. At this time many local insurance companies sprang up throughout Wisconsin, at one time over 300 companies. They were called town mutuals and were only insuring for fire coverage. The format was that 25 farmers were needed to originate a company to insure each other’s losses. The concept was neighbor insuring neighbor. These community-founded companies were organized and continue to operate under the supervision of a Board of Directors of local community members. Today Wisconsin River Mutual Insurance Company provides coverage for homeowners, farm owners, extended coverage, personal auto, mobile homeowners, dwelling packages, inland marine, watercraft, personal umbrella, commercial package policies, general liability, business owners, and commercial property.