Waukesha & Pewaukee History

Waukesha
Pewaukee

Waukesha’s history can be broken into three developmental stages of the city’s progression: early settlement, early industry and commerce and the springs era.

Early settlement:
The city of Waukesha, originally known as Prairie Village, was lush with forestry and prairies along the banks of the Fox River which first served as the home to resident Indian tribes like the Sauk, Menomonie, Winnebago and Potawatomi. These tribe’s prehistoric ancestors left behind a number of earthen mounds in which early pioneers reported 11 groupings of 55 mounds. A number of the mounds were conical or linear, while others were the forms of birds and reptiles and some of which were for burial.

Prior to the 1830’s the area was not visited by many white settlers due to its inland location and the Fox River not serving as a water highway. European settlers came only to the area to set-up fur trading posts between their new encampments and established cities like Milwaukee. The first permanent white settlers - Morris D. Cutler and Alonso Cutler - arrived in 1834 seeking to make their claims for homesteads. In 1836, the resident Indian tribes formally lost title to the land and were removed by the federal army. Upon the removal of the tribes, southeastern Wisconsin’s settlement quickly began to grow.

Early Industry and Commerce:
The first sign of industry came in 1838 when a sawmill was constructed along the Fox River to supply lumber for community building projects. Immediately following the sawmill was the construction of a large flour mill – Forest City Mill - which began operations in late 1839 and featured the only smutter, a device used to clean the grain, in the entire territory. In 1840 land leased from Morris Cutler was developed into a limestone quarry, the village’s first manufacturing plant was erected 1845, and Hickory Grove Brewery opened in the 1850s.

Juneau Solomon – a Milwaukee native – was the first supplier to the area. His small store allowed settled families in the area to purchase the provisions needed to survive the difficult winter of 1836-1837. Then the arrival of the first permanent general store in 1839 and first hardware store in 1847 solidified the village as a growing hub. The first local newspaper reporting local, state and national news called the American Freeman printed it’s first edition in September of 1844, followed by The Waukesha County Bank established in 1855 where, with some changes, remains in operation still today as Chase Bank.

The Springs Era:
Waukesha, translated to mean "By The Little Fox", gained world notability as a great and prosperous resort area during the last quarter of the nineteenth century. The entire tourist boom experienced can be traced to Colonel Richard Dunbar. Suffering from painful diabetes, Dunbar accidentally discovered the alleged "healing effects" of the local spring water. Ending the search for a cure for his illness, he spent the last ten years of his life believing and promoting that Waukesha spring water could indeed cure certain sicknesses.

About 1916, the resort days of Waukesha faded and gave way to what is now a thriving city of more than 63,000 residents representing diversified industry, educational institutions, strong health care facilities, attractive and friendly residential areas and a qualified and experienced hospitality industry. While visiting Waukesha, you can catch glimpses of our bygone era in the many parks, museums and carefully restored architecture of the downtown district.

Back To Top

Did you know ...

Pewaukee, translated to mean "Lake of Shells", was first inhabited by resident Indian tribes Sauk, Menomonie, Winnebago and Potawatomi. White settlers didn’t arrive until 1836 and established their homes along the Pewaukee Lake front. Amongst some of the earliest arriving white settlers was Deacon Asa Clark, who later became a prominent presence in Pewaukee. Upon arriving to Milwaukee, Clark joined in a partnership to open the first sawmill on Pewaukee Lake, later dissolving the partnership and opening the mill in 1838. The lime and stone industry soon followed in 1844 and flourished for many years there after. Upon the successes of early industry general stores, blacksmith shops and wagons shops were established to serve the growing number of workers in the area.

Soon after the extension of the railroad from Milwaukee in the 1880’s, Pewaukee began to attract summer visitors in large numbers bringing upon The Summer Resort Era. The two prominent hotels serving the guests flooding in from Milwaukee, Chicago and others from distant parts of the country were, the Oakton Springs and Health’s. With clever advertising and word of mouth the Pewaukee area quickly became known as a fisherman’s paradise in the midst of unrivaled beauty.

Today Pewaukee is still known as a fisherman’s paradise that provides the best Muskie fishing in southeastern Wisconsin. Pewaukee Lake also provides seasonal activities whether it’s swimming, boating or fishing in spring and summer, strolling the shore line to take in the many colors of autumn or ice skating at Lakefront Park during winter. Visiting Pewaukee means experiencing the charm and basking in the beauty of Lake Country living while catching glimpses of times past through the restored architecture throughout the city.

Did you know ...