A BRIEF HISTORY of SHEBOYGAN, WISCONSIN Name of Sheboygan - History Most authorities agree that Sheboygan is a Chippewa word, but differ as to its exact meaning. Rev. E. P. Wheeler in an article on the “Origin and Meaning of Wisconsin Place Names,” declares that “Sheboygan” is derived from Zhee-bo-I-gun, that which perforates or pierces; hence Zha-bun-I-gun, a needle. Joshua Hataway, an authority of some note, said, “Sheboygan or Cheboigan of the early maps is from the Indian name Shawb-wa-way-kum, half accent on first and full accent on the third syllable. The word or sentence, most likely Chippewa, expresses a tradition that a great noise, coming under ground from the region of Lake Superior, was heard at this river.” Father Chrysostom Verwyst, a Franciscan missionary among the Chippewas of Wisconsin and Minnesota, aided by Vincent Roy, a Chippewa merchant, and Antione Gaudin and M. Gurnoe, two very intelligent Chippewa scholars, agree that Sheboygan is derived from "jibaigan", meaning any perforated object, as a pipe stem. Louis M. Moran, a Chippewa interpreter, asserts that the term means a hollow bone or perforated object. This is the generally accepted meaning. Source: Sheboygan City Directory, 1920. Another view of the same topic: This word has an Indian origin. There are a number of words of two principal meanings from which it may have been derived. One series is said to mean any hollow object such as a pipe stem, reed, cane stalk, or hollow bone; or that with which one perforates or pierces through, hence a needle or awl. The other meaning refers to a passage away by water, or a river disappearing underground, or a noise underground. One authority claims that Indian word meant “send through” and “drum,” and referred to festive tribal occasions when the Indians carried their drums between Sheboygan Falls and Sheboygan and beat the cadence most properly suited to the event. There is also a tradition that a great noise coming underground from the region of Lake Superior was heard at this river. Other explanations offered are that on quiet days sound carried an unusual distance if originated at the mouth of the river, and one Indian chief said the name referred to the sound heard if one placed an ear to the ground near the mouth of the river. The Sheboygan River was named first, and the county and city were named after it. Source: The Romance of Wisconsin Place Names. [New material.] Natural Vegetation Mostly sugar maple, basswood, and elm. Northeast corner: maple, hemlock, and yellow birch. Northwest corner: small areas of sedge meadow and black spruce, tamarack, and cedar. West-central: very small area of prairie bluestem and composites. Sheboygan County, created in 1836 as a territorial county. It is believed that in 1635 Jean Nicolet, the French explorer, was the first recorded European settler to have visited this locality as he skirted the shores of Lake Michigan heading south from Green Bay. Native Americans following their trail from Milwaukee to Green Bay could always tell where they were when they reached the mouth of the Sheboygan River. They called this spot Schwab-we-way-kum, Native American terminology for "great noise underground." The theory is that the rushing sounds of the falls upstream prompted this description and this is a more generally accepted version of how Sheboygan got its name. When the European settlers first came, there were probably about 1000 Native Americans living in the county, composed mainly of Pottawatomies, Chippewas, Ottowas, Winnebagoes and Menominees. Their villages and camps were clustered on the bank or shore of practically every lake or stream, with the largest villages situated along the shore of Lake Michigan. After this territory began to interest the pioneers, treaties were made with the Native Americans. On September 26, 1833, in a treaty made at Chicago, the Native Americans relinquished all claim to the lands on the west shore of Lake Michigan, including what is now Sheboygan County, though many Native Americans remained here for many years. This article was contributed by Sheboygan Press April 29 1927 Forest Wilderness Transformed Into Dairy Courageous Pioneers Blazed Civilization's Trail For Sheboygan In startling contrast with the broad expanse of wilderness with its unbroken forests of hardwood and pine trees, for the possession of which various nomadic Indians tribes contended for years, is the rich, highly developed area of undulating farmland, which placed Sheboygan county foremost in the rank of all counties in the state of Wisconsin as the most productive dairying and agricultural region in the United States. Cutting their way through almost impenetrable forests which extended along the entire western shores of Lake Michigan, the sturdy pioneers who first arrived in this section of the country endured extreme hardships while intrepidly they blazed the trail for civilization in the territory now known as Sheboygan county. The first permanent settlement was made in the fall of 1834, when William PAINE and a man named CROCKER came up from Chicago and built a saw-mill near the junction of the Mullet and Sheboygan rivers, midway between Sheboygan and Sheboygan Falls, and began to cut off the forests which covered nearly the whole country. Farnsworth Had Confidence Having come to Sheboygan from a life of comparative comfort, their undertaking here, with the constant trials of pioneering, proved disheartening, and they became sick of the undertaking. So in September of 1835, PAINE and CROCKER sold their sawmill and other interests in this county to William FARNSWORTH, a Green Bay fur trader, who had visited the place as early as 1834 and who also spent a few months here in 1818. After the land had been surveyed, it was offered for sale in Green Bay in November, 1835, and FARNSWORTH became owner of a half-interest in the village plat of Sheboygan. A sixteenth part of that interest he subsequently sold during the temporary "land craze" of 1836-37 for the nominal sum of $30,000, and another sixteenth part brought him $25,000. From this time on, for a number of years FARNSWORTH was an active figure in the settlement and consequent development of the area, located in, and tributary to, the city of Sheboygan. It was through his efforts that several families of white settlers were brought to this county, who formed a nucleus for the settlement which later became the village of Sheboygan Falls. First White Woman While in Chicago for the purpose of engaging help to carry on his lumbering interests, FARNSWORTH engaged the services of Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan FOLLET. The couple arrived in Sheboygan from Cleveland, Ohio, in the fall of 1835, Mr. FOLLET to work in the mill and his wife to cook for the men employed there. Mrs. Eliza FOLLET, therefore, was the first white woman to become a permanent resident of the county, and did not see another white woman until the following year. Mr. FARNSWORTH later moved to Green Bay where he continued to reside until his death which occurred several years ago. The news of his demise caused great sorrow among many of the old pioneers who were intimately acquainted with Mr. FARNSWORTH and who were familiar with the very important part he had taken in promoting the growth and development of this section of the county. More Settlers Arrive Early in the summer of 1836, Charles D. COLE and family settled on the present site of Sheboygan. A little later, A. G. DYE, who had been engaged by Mr. FARNSWORTH, in Chicago, to build a warehouse here, arrived with his family and several carpenters to assist in the work. They made the trip on the schooner Michigan, first going to Green Bay and were nearly a month making the voyage. In the fall of the same year, William ASHBY came on foot from Green Bay to engage in lumbering at the FARNSWORTH mill. Others arriving in December of that year, were eight days in cutting their way through the woods from Milwaukee, a distance of about 50 miles. During the ensuing winter and early spring there was a season of prosperity which greatly encouraged these earliest settlers; but following the collapse of the land speculative period in Sheboygan and the resultant sudden departure of all the families, with the exception of Captain THORPE, who remained, it is interesting to note that, in the early part of 1840, the only people living in the county were James FARNSWORTH and family, who resided within the limits of the present city of Sheboygan which then contained eight or possibly nine unoccupied houses built during the "boom" of 1836-37; John JOHNSON and family, who lived near the cemetery, while two miles up the river, where William FARNSWORTH built his sawmill, there lived Alvah RUBLEE, Adonikan FARROW and William ASHBY. At Sheboygan Falls, a sawmill and three houses had been built. At that time the nearest neighbors on the north were at Manitowoc Rapids, while on the south, with a single exception in Washington county, there were no inhabitants until within about six miles of Milwaukee. On the west and northwest there was an unbroken wilderness, with no signs of civilization nearer than Lake Winnebago and Green Bay. Settlers obtained supplies mostly from Milwaukee which were brought in an Indian canoe. While a little wheat was raised in 1840, there was no mill for grinding it. On one occasion a load of condemned provisions from Green Bay, arriving in Sheboygan during the winter of 1836-37, was considered a “God-send” by the settlers. In 1840 the only blacksmith shop in the county was located at Sheboygan Falls, and was operated by Deacon TROWBRIDGE, who was also the only preacher, and he called his people together for religious worship by a blast from a long tin horn. Mail By Indian Pony The mail was carried every week between Milwaukee and Green Bay by a Frenchman, on an Indian pony. William TROWBRIDGE, being what is called in the East a whitesmith, did the blacksmithing for the entire neighborhood. There was a miller; a man who did a little tailoring, and another who did something in shoemaking. Thus the earliest settlers managed to assist each other until conditions were improved by the arrival of immigrants and the further development of the county. A settlement of Fourierites was begun in the town of Mitchell in 1846 by a colony from the state of New York, but failing to secure a charter from the legislature, it broke up, only three families remaining in the county. 13,400 Immigrants In 1853 While the number of settlers gradually increased each year, it was not until about 1845 to 1850 that rapid strides were made. It was about this time that the Germans began to settle in the county in considerable numbers. The first German residents, who settled in the town of Sheboygan Falls, came from Milwaukee. They inaugurated the movement which resulted in the influx of this industrious class of people, who increased rapidly until they became the predominant nationality, which they still are in the county. The state immigration agent’s reports show that during the summer of 1853, there were 13,400 immigrants who landed in Sheboygan. For a number of years after the first settlement of the county, the only connection which the earliest inhabitants had with the outside world was by means of boats on the lake, which occasionally touched at Sheboygan. Except in the winter time, when all communication with the outside world was cut off for months at a time, the arrival of mail was the event of the week. The trip from Milwaukee was sometimes made by land, but this was so difficult that it was seldom undertaken with loaded teams. The overland trip was often made along the beach and near the shore of the lake. First Roads In The County The two first roads in the county were established by territorial legislature of 1838-39. One of these roads extended from Sheboygan, by way of Hustis Rapids, on Rock river near Horicon, to Madison, and the other was laid out from Sheboygan Falls, and thence to Fond du Lac. In 1851, the Sheboygan and Fond du Lac plank road was chartered, and was completed in July, 1852. Two years later the Sheboygan and Calumet plank road was incorporated; completed to Howards Grove in 1856, and built to Kiel, Manitowoc county in 1859. On September 4, 1852, the Sheboygan River Plank Road company was organized at Sheboygan Falls. That the early settlers considered roads of even greater importance than educational institutions, is shown by the fact that at a local town meeting, when it was proposed to raise $100 for roads and $1,000 for schools, the voters reversed the sums giving the $1,000 to the roads. Raise Good Wheat For a number of years during the earliest settlement of Sheboygan county, there was not a sufficient amount of provisions raised in the county to provide the residents with what they actually required for their subsistence; but the agricultural resources were soon developed so as to no longer necessitate the importation of staple products. Wheat formed the main crop, and was of such superior quality that Sheboygan county grown wheat had acquired a reputation in all of the principal markets of the country and enjoyed the distinction of a special quotation in Milwaukee, Buffalo and New York. Rye, barley and oats of fine quality were also produced in large quantities. In reference to the prosperity of agricultural interests in the county, old residents stated that there had never been a failure of crops such has occasionally has occurred in many other localities. During this period of development, considerable attention was given to sheep raising, and as a result wool formed a large and profitable industry in the county. Some of the highest grade sheep if Vermont were brought to Sheboygan county, and the quality of wool improved until it sold in the markets of New England at an advanced price over that of old Vermont herself. Cheese Wins Honors It was about this time that dairying, which now makes Sheboygan known in all the leading markets of America and Europe, began to assume a permanently important character. In 1858, first cheese vat was brought in, and cheese was manufactured on the cooperative plan, collecting curd from all the neighbors. It was not until 1859, however, that a regular cheese factory was started. It is said that when John J. SMITH first exhibited Sheboygan cheese in Chicago, dealers would not look at it, and that SMITH had to offer to pay a man for his time if he would examine it. But he sold the cheese and, in 1875, the export trade of cheese made in Sheboygan county, had reached 50,000 boxes, while buyers from Chicago, Philadelphia, New York, Montreal and Liverpool were present at a meeting of the dairy board. Mills Are Numerous A review of the developments up to this time reveals that, in 1849, there was one flouring-mill in the county, carrying four run of stones, two custom mills, one steam-mill, seventeen sawmills running by water power, and two foundries, four or five wagon shops, thirteen cooper shops, a fanning-mill, three ship yards, two of which were operated with steam machinery, and two brickyards turning out from 300,000 to 800,000 beautiful cream colored brick annually. In the 1870s there were seventeen grist-mills and twenty-six sawmills. The value of leather manufactured amounted that year to $200,000, while “wagon stuff” and “cooper’s stuff” were also shipped out of the county. Agricultural Production A statement of the production of the county, carefully compiled from the year 1870, indicated that a great advancement had been made in agriculture. From very small beginnings there were then owned in the county, 6,518 horses; 22,204 meat cattle; 38,378 sheep; 8,504 swine, and 94 asses. There was produced in cereals: wheat; rye; oats, barley; potatoes; wool; butter, and cheese; corn; root crops; clover; hops, and hay; peas; meat cattle; and swine; sheep. In 1872, according to the assessors' report, there were no watches owned nor in the possession of any person in the towns of Herman, Holland, Mosel, Rhine, Russell, Scott and Wilson, and there were no musical instruments reported in towns Herman, Mitchell, Russell and Scott. In the same year, with the exception of the bankers themselves, there was only $12,000 worth of bank stock owned in the county. The population of the county in 1850 was 8,379. In 1855 it had increased to 20,391, of which number 3,630 resided in the city of Sheboygan. Court House Built The court house was built in 1867-68. The entire cost, including out-buildings, fences, furniture, and all other expenses, was $65,000. The city of Sheboygan donated the land, and the clock and the bell in the tower. While some of the earliest history appearing in this review has been written before and much of it known to many old settlers, the major part of the history published in this issue of The Press appears for the first time. It includes many intimate happenings which will prove interesting to a large number of readers and, at the same time, be a valuable contribution to the history which has already been written of Sheboygan county. Considerable time was required and trouble was experienced in compiling the events which are linked with the earliest settlement and the development of the county. The facts were obtained from many of the oldest living residents of the respective towns, and their knowledge of events may be relied upon as being accurate and authentic in every detail. The various towns and their chronological order of settlement are as follows: Sheboygan Falls was settled in 1835; Plymouth in 1845; Mitchell in 1846; and Scott in 1847. Scott, the southwest-most town of this county, Mitchell, Plymouth, and Sheboygan Falls, each have thirty-six full sections. [End of new] Sheboygan Ancestors John Michael & Elizabeth (Baumann) Saemann Isaac & Jane (Lemley) Brazelton (web page to be built) John M. & Catherine (Brazelton) Saemann Franklin Isaac Saemann Sr. Joann Saemann, my mother. Useful Sheboygan Links Mead Public Library, Home Page. Wisconsin State Historical Society, Home Page. Sheboygan History, n the Mead Public Library, Sheboygan, Wisconsin. City of Sheboygan Wisconsin, Home Page. From the City of Sheboygan Statistics and History Page: A small pox epidemic affected the city in 1882. Vaccinations were ordered throughout the city. Many firsts happened in 1885. The first horse drawn street cars rolled down the roads. And in 1889, The Sheboygan Electric Co. started construction. And Electric street cars replaced horse drawn ones in 1895. In 1900, North 7th St. between Superior Ave. and Bluff Ave. was closed per a city ordinance from 2 to 4 o’clock daily for horse racing in the snow. Sheboygan County Government, Home Page. Sheboygan, Wisconsin, A Wikipedia web page. Sheboygan Press, Home Page. Chamber of Commerce, Home Page. Click your Back button to return to the page you just left to get here.