By Pryse Duerfeldt, PDG D-6220 12/17/09, comments welcome

The organizational structure has seen many changes over the years, each change being developed to help manage the progressive expansion of the idea of Rotary as it spread though the United States, Canada, The British Isles and the World.

The genesis of every current District of Rotary International can also be traced back to the need to provide major groupings and governing of club areas.

The area comprising the current District 6220 was once [1912] part of the Central Division, U. S. [North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio] with it’s own Divisional V.P..  1915 was the beginning of D- 9 [Michigan Upper Peninsula, Wisconsin, Minnesota]. In 1918 it became D- 15 [Michigan Upper Peninsula, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Manitoba, Western Ontario], which then excluded Manitoba, Ontario and the Michigan UP east of the 85th meridian in 1919.

[Quotes in the following descriptions are directly from the RI Archives. This author is not familiar enough with Wisconsin to question the validity of these quoted descriptions.]

In 1922 it became D-10 [Wisconsin, and the Michigan UP west of the 85th meridian]. In 1923 Douglas County, Wisconsin was excluded. In 1925 D-10 included the same Michigan UP portion but only that part of Wisconsin “north of the southern boundaries of  Kewaunee, Brown, Outagamie, Trempeleau, Buffalo, Pepin and Pierce Counties and that portion of Winnebago County north of latitude 44 degrees, 5 minutes.”

In 1937 the number was changed to D-143 and included the same UP portion and only that part of Wisconsin north of the southern boundaries of Kewaunee, Brown, Outagamie, Waupaca, Portage, Wood, Clark, Eau Claire, Trempealeau, Buffalo, Pepin and Pierce, excluding Douglas County. In 1938 D-143 included the same UP portion and only that part of Wisconsin “north of the southern boundaries of Kewaunee, Brown, Outagamie, Waupaca, Portage, Wood, Clark, Eau Claire and Pepin and that portion of Winnebago County north of latitude 44 degrees, 5 minutes.”

In 1949 the number was changed to D- 208 and included the same UP portion and only that part of Wisconsin “north of the northern boundaries of the counties of Manitowoc, Calumet, Waushara, Adams, Juneau, Jackson, Trempeleau and Buffalo (except Douglas County), and west of the western boundary of Buffalo County and that portion of Winnebago County north of latitude 44 degrees, 5 minutes.”

In 1957 the number was changed to D-622 [which was part of D-208] and included the same UP portion and only that part of Wisconsin “north of the northern boundaries of the counties of Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Calumet, Winnebago, Waushara, Adams, Wood, Clark, Dunn and St. Croix.” 

In 1968 D-622 boundaries were changed again and included the same UP portion and only that part of Wisconsin “north of the northern boundaries of the counties of Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Calumet, Winnebago, Waushara, Adams, Wood, Clark, Chippewa, and Barron, and east of the eastern boundary of Burnett County, south of the southern boundaries of Douglas, Bayfield and Ashland counties and east of the eastern boundary of Ashland county.”  In 1981 D-622 boundaries were changed again such that they included the same UP portion and only that part of Wisconsin “north of the northern boundaries of the counties of Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Calumet, Winnebago, Waushara, Adams, Wood, Clark and Chippewa; and east of the eastern boundaries of the counties of Barron, Sawyer and Ashland; south of the southern boundaries of Ashland and Sawyer.”

In 1992 D-622 became D-6220 with no boundary changes.