Noteworthy Citizens Of Shawano County – Introduction

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Introduction

Since the earliest settlers, the success and evolution of Shawano County has been the result of it’s determined citizens to make this their home and a better place to live.   This section of the Shawano County Historical Society website tells the story of noteworthy citizens of the county, citizens that went beyond their lives to make Shawano County what it is today.

Brief History of Shawno County

From Wikipedia

Its name is from a modified Ojibwa term meaning “southern”; it was the southern boundary of the Ojibwa nation.  A Menominee chief named Sawanoh led a band that lived in the area. Many citizens of Shawano believe the lake, county, and city (Town of Shawanaw founded 1853 and changed to Shawano in 1856), were named after Chief Sawanoh. A historical marker placed in 1958 near the lake along Highway 22 states the lake was named as the southern boundary of Chippewa (Ojibwe) territory.Various historical recordings of the spelling of Shawano include Sawanoh, Shawanaw, Sharuno, Shabin, Savannah, and Savanah. This shows the influence of French, German, and English translation (v’s, w’s, and b’s sounding very similar and thus being recorded incorrectly at times). Similar differences in spelling have been seen in the Mahican/Mahikan/Maikens tribe or Mohecan/Morhican/Mohican tribe, all referring to the same Algonquian-speaking people.

The federally recognized Stockbridge-Munsee Community (made up of Algonquian-speaking Mahican and Lenape), whose ancestors traditionally lived in the East along the Hudson River Valley, is located in Shawano County. Their reservation encompasses the towns of Bartelme and Red Springs.

It was created as a separate county in 1853 under the name Shawanaw County. The county, unlike the city, retained the old spelling until 1864.

From the mid-nineteenth century on, the county was settled by European Americans, including many German, and later, Polish immigrants. They developed the county for agriculture. Before that, French-Canadian and British fur traders traveled widely through the area, trading with the Chippewa and other Native American peoples of the region.

The first non-Indian credited with exploring the region where Shawano is now located is Samuel Farnsworth. He paddled up the Wolf River in 1843 with a few men to scout the area for logging the vast forests. A small Menominee village was located along the Shawano Lake Channel when their party arrived, and the Indians were friendly and cooperative. Charles Wescott and the Farnsworth group then set up a sawmill where the Channel meets the Wolf River.

Captain William Powell, an officer of the Black Hawk War, established a trading post on the Wolf River about two miles from the village in 1844. He had been an interpreter for the government when the treaties were signed allowing white people to settle this area of Wisconsin.

E. F. Sawyer platted a village near Powell’s trading post in 1854 but public favor clung to the region adjacent to the old mill property and it was decided by popular vote to locate the county seat at Shawanaw, which was the name of the newly formed county.

The county, which was organized in 1853, was formed from areas of Oconto and Outagamie Counties. Forty-seven votes were cast and Elias Murray, Charles D Wescott and Elisha Alexander were elected supervisors. At that time there were 254 registered inhabitants, but only the men were allowed to vote.

When the county was first organized the name was spelled Shawanaw, taken from the Indian Sha-wa-Nah-Pay-Sa which meant “lake to the south” in Menominee and Chippewa. The spelling was changed in 1864 to its present Shawano, with three townships: Richmond, Waukechon and Shawano. Later others were added, making 25 townships.

In 1860 the first school house was erected in the county and Orlin Andrews was employed as its teacher. In 1898 there were 108 public schools in the county with 124 teachers.

A courthouse was erected on Main Street in 1857 and was replaced in 1879–80 at a cost of $17,000.00. The County Board authorized a new courthouse and jail in June 1953.

The earliest settlers who came to Shawano County consisted mostly of people from the New England States, Canada, and a few from British Columbia. A large influx of Bohemians settled in the Leopolis area and near Powell’s Trading Post in the area about two miles from the city on Highway K. Norwegians settled in the area around Wittenberg, Lessor, Lunds and Navarino. Germans have been very prominent in the entire county, with 4,524 of the 27,475 inhabitants in 1900 born in Germany.

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SHAWANO
Source: “Milwaukee Free Press”, 18 January 1913; submitted by Diana Heser Morse

Shawano, the county seat of Shawano County, is a beautiful city of 2,600 inhabitants, nestled among the pine trees on the bank of the Wolf River.

Its first permanent settlement was in 1843, when the first saw mill was built, and it has always been the headquarters for the great lumbering operations of the Wolf river districts.

The geographical lay of the land, the level condition and the wonderful water power made it an ideal spot for the location of a large city, and it if was not for the fact that the logs were floated past Shawano down to Oshkosh, Shawano would today be one of the largest industrial centers of the state. Now, since lumbering has, in a great measure, given place to agriculture, the soil, under the highest degree of cultivation has developed the country around Shawano into one of the best farming and stock raising districts of the state, which is proven by the fact that the firm of Eberlein & Eberlein, breeders of Guernsey stock, has erected on its farm one mile east of Shawano, the finest stock barn in Wisconsin, so pronounced by ex-Gov. W. D. Hoard. They also have one of the finest ginseng farms in the country, shipping at one time last fall $5,000 worth of plants and seed.

There are still large tracts of hardwood timber, basswood, elm, maple, birch, oak and hemlock, with fast forests of pine still standing, tributary to Shawano, and the fine water power here, makes it a most desirable point for those looking for a manufacturing location. It is situated on the main line of the Chicago & North-Western, Green Bay & Manitowoc division, between Chicago and Ashland, giving ready access to all points north and west; also on the Oconto branch of the North-Western between Clintonville and Oconto. It is an hour’s ride to Green Bay, and only a few hours from Milwaukee. Shawano is growing so rapidly that the North-Western railroad has not adequate means for handling its business here, which will mean the erection of a new freight depot and other improvements.

Shawano also is the beginning of the Wisconsin Northern railroad, which passes through the great Indian reservations, which has for its railroad center Neopit, where the largest government sawmill of the United States is located. Large trainloads of pine are shipped from there, through Shawano, to the ship industries of England.

It is only a question of a short time before the Wisconsin Northern railroad will extend its line north to Crandon and south to Menasha and Neenah, which will open up sections fo the country never before touched by railroads, and make Shawano the center of this great section in manufacturing, agriculture and commercial business.

Shawano owns its own electric plant, water and sewerage systems. Its main street is paved and all roads leading to Shawano are being graveled and put in excellent condition.

Shawano has a public library. Three miles south of Shawano is a county asylum in the course of erection, which will cost the county $200,000. The building is being constructed on the latest improved plans.

Shawano has for its chief industry the Wolf River Paper & Fiber Co., W. C. Zachow, manager, which owns the pulp, sulphite and paper mills, which employ about 160 men. The company has installed a new paper machine called “the Dutchman”, which manufactures what is known as the specialties in paper, that is, tissue paper and paper that is glazed on one side and rough on the other, and many other of the thin kinds of paper. There are only seven of these machines in the United States.

Other industries are: A large brewery, sawmill, veneer and box factory, pickle factory, Regling Bros. cement works, flour and grist mills, creamery, large laundry, large potato warehouses, grain elevators and a large and up-to-date brick works owned by Thomas Larson, who has invented one of the most improved brick making machines of the time.

Shawano has the finest stores, especially its drug stores and meat markets, of any city in northern Wisconsin. It also has three substantial banks, the First National Citizens’ State bank and the German American National, which has a most beautiful building.

There are six churches, the St. Jacobi Lutheran, having a membership of over 1,100 and which is to erect, in the spring, a fine hospital to cost $50,000; the Sacred Heart Catholic church has the next largest congregation.

Shawano also has its share of organizations, fraternal and charitable, an advancement association, woman’s clubs, and goodfellowship club. The largest incorporated organization is the Woodlawn Shawano Cemetery association, Mrs. W. C. Zachow, president; Mrs. E. V Werner, secretary. The association has made it one of the beauty spots of Shawano.

Citizens of Shawano are all public spirited, and quick to respond any anything which is for the good of their city.

C. M. Upham, D. W. Wescott, R. W. Jackson, Marion Wescott, C. A. Raisler, Henry Klosterman, Mr. and Mrs. H. W. Murdock, Mrs. Henry Naber and Mrs. David Pulcifer are some of those still living who were among the early settlers, and who have done much for the advancement of Shawano.

M. J. Wallrich, president of the Wisconsin Advancement association has done much in the way of city improvements. E. V. Werner, W. C Zachow, F. W. Humphrey, A. Kuckuk, P. F. Dolan, L. D. Robers and B. Royer, mayor of Shawano, are some of the many public spirited men.

Fred Upham of Chicago, although not born in this city, came to Shawano when a mere lad, and has reached to heights of prominence, both in a financial and political way.

It is also said of Shawano that it has the most beautiful residences of any city of its size in Wisconsin, among which are the residences of August Anderson, John Black, Joe Black, Geo. a. Schutz, Geo. Klosterman, Mrs. F. J. Martin, E. V. Werner, C. J. Stier, W. C. Zachow, John Schweers, J. A. Lieg and many others.

Shawano has four beautiful school buildings, the high school, Lincoln graded school, St. Jacobi Lutheran school and the Sacred Heart Catholic school.

It is also the logical situation for the next normal school to be established by the state, as it is almost int he exact center of the locality which must derive benefit from such a school.

The last of its many attractions to be mentioned is its beautiful lake. Shawano lake, seven miles in length and three miles in width, with one of the finest beaches to be found anywhere. Many Milwaukeeans are interested and own cottages at North Beach.

Some of the best trout streams in the state are within a short distance of the city. In the hunting season ducks and other water fowls are to be found in the lakes and not very far north deer may be found plentiful in open season.