Oconto County, Wisconsin

Oconto County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Oconto County takes its name from its chief river. The significance of this word is variously given as "red ground," or "the place of the pickerel" in Gannett, Place Names, p. 194; or the Menominee word for "black bass" in Legler, Wis. Place Names. The latter would seem to be correct, since upon many of the early maps (1820-50) the stream is noted as Black Bass River.

[Source: Kellogg, Louise Phelps. "Derivation of County Names" in Proceedings of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin for 1909, pages 219-231.]

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

County History

Oconto County, created in 1851 from unorganized territory, is named for an Indian settlement and a river whose name means "plentiful with fish." Located in northeast Wisconsin, the county seat is Oconto.

Description from John W. Hunt's 1853 Wisconsin Gazetteer: "OCONTO, County, is bounded on the north by the State line, on the east by the middle of Green Bay, and a portion of Brown, on the south by Brown and Outagamie, and on the west by Waupacca and Marathon. It was set off and established from Brown, February 6, 1851, and organized for county purposes April 7, 1852. The principal rivers are Peshtego, Oconto, Pensaukee, and Little Suamico. The judicial connection of Oconto is with Brown, and representative with Outagamie. The chief product of this county, thus far, has been pine lumber, which is produced in great quantities; but little is known of its agricultural advantages."

OCONTO.--Population 1,502.
From: Handbook of Wisconsin by S. Silas, 1855
pg. 90-91

This is another of those large Counties partly surveyed, extending along Green Bay and Michigan, and occupying a certain unknown and almost unexplored, extent. It is well watered, and possesses extensive water powers and several navigable streams, at present but little used except for floating down pine lumber, now nearly the only riches of the County. It is sparsely settled, most of it yet unsurveyed, and the land for agricultural purposes is said to be very poor; yet there are undoubtedly good farming lands to be found, and its facilities for reaching market will soon induce a heavy population. A steamer runs from Green Bay up the Oconto, and from Oshkosh up the Wolf, nearly to the southern line of the County. Nearly the whole of Oconto is in the Menasha land district, one range being in the Stevens Point.

A new Post Office has been established at Pensaukie, a prosperous lumber station on the Oconto, about 20 miles from Green Bay, and is on the route of the Green Bay, Menomonee and Lake Superior mail.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,149 square miles (2,976 km²), of which, 998 square miles (2,585 km²) of it is land and 151 square miles (391 km²) of it (13.15%) is water.

Neighboring Counties:

• Marinette County - northeast
• Brown County - south
• Shawano County - southwest
• Menominee County - west
• Langlade County - west
• Forest County - northwest

Cities and Towns:

County Resources:

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