Waushara County, Wisconsin

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

County Seat: Wautoma
Year Organized: 1851
Square Miles: 626

Court House:

209 S. St. Marie Street, PO Box 488
County Courthouse
Wautoma, WI 54982-0488

Etymology - Origin of County Name

This name first appeared on the map when the county was erected, and would seem (like Waukesha) to be an attempt of American settlers to apply some little-understood Indian term. One authority considers it equivalent to "good land." Stennett, Place Names, p. 32.

[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

History

Waushara County was established by an act of the Wisconsin Legislature on February 15, 1851. It originally consisted of a single organized Town of Waushara. The county seat was first located at Sacramento and was relocated to Wautoma in 1854 after a bitter fight between proponents of the two places.

Description from John W. Hunt's 1853 Wisconsin Gazetteer: "WAUSHARA, County, is bounded on the north by Portage and Waupacca, east by Winnebago, south by Marquette, and west by Adams, and is 18 miles north and south by 36 miles east and west. It was established February 15, 1851, from Marquette The seat of justice is at Sacramento, in the southeast corner of the county, on Fox river. This county embraces what has been familiarly known recently as the 'Indian Lands" of Marquette county. "

WAUSHARA.--Population 5,541.
From: Handbook of Wisconsin by S. Silas, 1855
pg. 107

In its general features, is similar to Marquette, of which it formed a part till 1851. It is rapidly increasing in population, having abundance of water power, and the County generally being excellant land and well watered. It is but a few years since it was known as the "Indian Lands," now receiving a population which will soon develope its resources. It holds out strong inducements to the immigrant, in the excellent combination of wood, openings, water, &c.

Wautoma, on the head waters of White River is the County Seat. It has a good water power and machinery is driven by it, now employed in the manufacture of plows, chairs, &c.

Fox River passes through the south-east corner of the County, on which steamboats run to Berlin in Marquette, which lies nearly on the line of the two Counties, and is practically a market for Waushara also. The Milwaukee and Horicon Rail Road is now building to Berlin, and its charter continues it to Stevens Point, through the centre of the County.

There is abundance of good public land yet to be had. It is partly in the Menasha, but mostly in the Stevens Point land district.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 637 square miles (1,651 km²), of which, 626 square miles (1,621 km²) of it is land and 11 square miles (29 km²) of it (1.78%) is water.

Neighboring Counties:

Portage County - north
Waupaca County - northeast
Winnebago County - east
Green Lake County - south
Marquette County - south
Adams County - west

Cities and Towns:

- Bloomfield	town
- Coloma	village	Incorporated Area
- Dakota	town
- Hancock	village	Incorporated Area
- Leon	town
- Lohrville	village	Incorporated Area
- Mount Morris	town
- Oasis	town
- Pine River	town
- Plainfield	village	Incorporated Area
- Poysippi	town
- Redgranite	village	Incorporated Area
- Richford	town
- Rose	town
- Saxeville	town
- Springwater	town
- Wautoma (County Seat)	city	Incorporated Area
- Wild Rose	village	Incorporated Area

County Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

County Resource Guide

Counties: US Map

The history of our nation can be seen as a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names we've given our counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of our country!"

But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.

Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally, act locally."

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