Brief History of Horicon
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Brief History of Horicon
- MAUNK-SHAK-KAH –
That’s what the Indians called it. The translation for this name was White Breast but no one seems to know why White Breast was an appropriate name. It was a large low lying marsh with a beautiful clear river running out of it. Two miles to the south was a rapids and a ford near the site. The river continued on and meandered south until it found it’s way into the Mississippi River.
Because the marsh was somewhat inaccessible and did not lend itself to easy navigation it remained out of reach of the white man while other areas were found and explored. When white man did arrive, things began to change rapidly.
It now became known as “The Great Winnebago Marsh’. In 1830 the settlement at the rapids appeared as Elk Village and by 1838 it had changed to Doty’s Grove, apparently named after the Territorial Governor, James Doty. In succession it then appeared as Indian Ford and again as Hubbard’s Rapids named after either Henry Hubbard Sr, a US Senator from New Hampshire in what seemed to be an effort to gain his favor and financial backing or his son Henry Hubbard Jr. who had now settled there.
The name Horicon didn’t appear until 1846 and had no positive connection to the area. William Larabee had now settled there and at a meeting at his home a suitable permanent name for the site was discussed. Larabee had come from Lake George in upper New York state and the original name for that lake had been Lake Horicon meaning clear and pure water. So the name became, and still is, Horicon.
In 1845 it was decided that they would dam the river and create a lake. A dam was constructed east of the rapids and the transition to Lake Horicon was successful beyond anyone’s dreams. The resulting lake had numerous islands which were given names that are still familiar today. Steamboat Island, Gardner Island and Four Mile Island just to name a few. Large quantities of Northern Pike and Pickerel were taken commercially and shipped to all parts of the country.
In 1852, the life of the dam was shortened as heavy spring rains collapsed the structure. The resulting flood was devastating to a lot of the farmers but the people in the area all pitched in and the dam was replaced and functioning again in six weeks time.
The farmers who had been harmed by the dams collapse now started litigation to recover their losses and finally in 1869 the situation was resolved by the courts and the dam was ordered removed. Now the marsh returned and where there had been large amounts of fish taken from the lake there was now huge amounts of waterfowl being taken and shipped to eastern markets.
Through much of the early history of the area many Indians still remained. This was their home and they liked it here. There is no record of any serious altercations between the Indians and the settlers but in the 1830’s the Government decided the Indians should be moved to a reservation and they were gathered up and sent off to Minnesota. This was an unfortunate choice because it put them with the Fox and Sac tribes which were their enemies. This led the Indians to drift back to their Horicon home and in 1850 the government once again ordered them off but this time to Nebraska. There were some isolated records of local Indians remaining and the last known event was the graduation of Mendota Wolf from Horicon High School in 1920.
About the time the Indians were leaving the railroads were coming. On October 19, 1856 the Milwaukee and Horicon Railroad Company was chartered and on January 2, 1857 the first train arrived from Milwaukee amid great excitement and celebration. Over the next few years tracks expanded to places like Ripon and Berlin and Horicon became a railroad hub. Logs from the Berlin area began arriving by train and were dumped into Lake Horicon and were then processed by the Rich and Sons mills. By 1858 it was estimated that 40 carloads of logs were brought in daily and were now unloaded into the Rock River and were then rafted south to other processing locations.
The railroads now began expanding and to raise capital they talked many area farmers into second mortgages on their property. The boom didn’t last long and many lost their farms when local railroads began to go broke. Some of the farmers revolted and took over the local “Roundhouse”. Marines from Milwaukee had to be called in to clear up the situation. Financial conditions improved later and in 1870 farmers who could hold on recouped their losses and the local railroad was then purchased and became part of the Milwaukee and St Paul Railroad.
With all of this activity the city had to grow. A census dated 1856 showed the population at 1,230 and another census dated 1857 listed the population at 2,021. It is not sure how accurate these figures might be but it is certain that there was rapid growth. As the community flourished the necessities of life had to be supplied and businesses appeared and all did well. Banks and hotels sprang up and businesses from all walks of life were now operating very successfully.
Much of the ethnic background was German Lutheran and names like Schoenwetter and Rosensprung were soon in business. There was no shortage of other ethnic businesses. Names like Nels Silverness in the drug store or Tom “The Greek” Manolis who came without his family to start a restaurant, which didn’t take long to be successful, and then he brought his family. Or Al Joseph, who had his Dry Goods Store closed on Saturday to observe his Sabbath and then was open on Sunday to the consternation of many a German Lutheran. There were also the Hungarians who built many homes on the steep hillside of Mill St which was dubbed “Hunk Hill” at that time and is still recognized by that name today.
As the community grew it was only natural that industry should follow. Seeding grain fields was still accomplished by the hand broadcasting method and the passenger pigeons, which were so plentiful, would eagerly follow and quickly devour a good share of the new seed. In stepped the Van Brunt brothers, Daniel and George. In 1860 they developed a seed drill and began its manufacture. Six of these new machines were produced in the first year and by 1862 production increased to 500. The success continued and it became the largest manufacturer of grain drills in the world.
Deere and Company of Moline, Illinois was now looking for grain drills to add to its’ line of farm machinery and in 1911 the sale to Deere was completed. It continued to flourish and continues on as John Deere Horicon Works.
A number of other industries came and went. Among them was Davies Shoe Company and Stokely Foods Inc. In 1918 the Ideal Barn Equipment Co was organized. In 1928 Gardner Manufacturing Co was organized and purchased the assets of the Ideal Co. Gardner Manufacturing is still a successful operation today.
Many banks were also organized in the early years. The Horicon State Bank, chartered in 1896, still remains. It is interesting to note one of the prominent names on the charter was Van Brunt. That bank has continued on very successfully and today is operating as Horicon Bank with many branches throughout Wisconsin.
Today the Horicon Marsh is well known and draws many visitors particularly in the fall when the Canada Goose migration brings hundreds of thousands of geese through the Refuge. The Marsh would probably not be recognizable to the Indians. The clean, clear water flowing into the rapids and through their village is nothing but a memory. The Marsh is dotted by dikes and impoundments and the river flowing freely out of it is now quiet, stopped by a continuous series of dams that keep the river in place so the white men who now reside on the banks can rest in comfort.
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