The Wisconsin Service Star Legion, Inc. was originally established in 1919 as the state division of War Mothers of America, a national organization that had been established in 1917 as a patriotic organization for women relatives of World War I servicemen. It was the first women's organization to come out of World War I.
The first SSL chapter was organized in Dane County under the sponsorship of the Dane County Council of Defense. The Dane County chapter then took up the organization of the state division.
Unlike many similar organizations, the Service Star Legion was not a women's auxiliary, and it was responsible for its own policy. The Legion was primarily devoted to the welfare of veterans and their families and to the placement of memorials and markers.
