Fond du Lac: The Almost Capital of Wisconsin
Fond du lac is situated on the southern shore of Lake Winnebago which is connected to the Mississippi River and Great Lakes by rivers which both previously and currently allow for water transportation. In February 1836, Edward and Colwert Pier came to Fond du Lac looking to have a permanent settlement on the head of the lake. During this time, the area was still vastly under explored and mainly wilderness with no roads. Their attempts to cultivate the land were attested with great discouragement by the Natives on the land who stole their crops and killed their pigs and cows. When more settlers arrived in 1836 and the area expanded, Fond du Lac nearly became the capital of the newly formed Wisconsin Territory as it lost by only one vote to Madison.
The first road was opened later in 1836 traveling from Green Bay to Fort Crawford and was known as Military Road (and is still titled that today). Another road opened in 1888 to Sheboygan and other to Fox Lake. To the south and the west is one of the richest agricultural districts. This territory helped mark the boundaries of the city, along with the great pine forests and iron mines to the north, the hard-wood timbered regions of the northeast, and the great agricultural empire and prairies to the west and south. Fond du Lac is situated between two great districts which allowed it to be a key transportation route due to its many roads and waterways. This allowed for heavy timber manufacturing and iron accessibility.
Many of Fond du Lac's first settlers were Yankees, but German, Dutch, Irish, Welsh, and Scottish settlers began settling in greater numbers between 1850 and 1880. Fond du Lac became the state's second largest city by 1870, being a major railroad hub. Fond du Lac County was the second highest in wheat production in the state, only behind Dane county. Fond du Lac continued to be a major agricultural center. During World War II, German POWs worked in canning factories in the city. Today, one of the largest employers in the city is Mercury Marine which manufactures outboard motor engines. Agriculture continues to play a major role in Fond du Lac's economy although the majority of the agricultural land is found outside of the city limit as most of the city has been developed.
Sources:
http://genealogytrails.com/wis/fonddulac/History-pg01.html
https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS2536
This was really interesting to read! I had no idea that Fond de luc was almost the capital of Wisconsin. It really makes you wonder how that may have changed the geography and demographic layout of the state from what it is today. Wisconsin is such a unique place considering it has more than one sort of "big city" (I'm thinking about Milwaukee and of course Madison), had Wisconsin placed its capital at the center of the state, would that had changed how Milwaukee developed? Would that have resulted in more or less farming communities in the areas that they are today? How would that have impacted racial/socio-economic/political demographics for today? So many questions are brought to my mind!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your piece as it had many interesting morsels of information I had never heard about before. On my drive between Kohler (my hometown) and Madison I drive directly through Fond du Lac so I am very familiar with the area. I understand how it could have almost have been the capitol of the state through the light your blog post conveyed it in, but knowing the difference between Fond du Lac and Madison today I could personally never imagine the two being reversed in importance in regards to government and symbolism. I wonder if you think that Fond du Lac would have been better suited for a capitol of the state of Wisconsin back then and which way you would have voted? Do you think the right decision was made?
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