Appleton - Wisconsin - History

In 1851 Appleton city was the seat of Outagamie county, east-central Wisconsin, U.S. The city lies along the Fox River near its outflow from Lake Winnebago, 31 miles (48 km) southwest of Green Bay. The settlement of the area was encouraged by the presence of Lawrence College, which is now a university founded by Amos A. Lawrence of Boston, and of abundant waterpower. First called Grand Chute, the settlement was later renamed for Samuel Appleton, Lawrence's father-in-law.

The founding of Appleton is the muddled story of Indian chiefs, French explorers, government agents, Methodist ministers, greedy land speculators, wealthy Boston merchants, and one shady character who claimed to be the rightful king of France. It is an involved tale of accidents and blunders, broken promises and financier schemes, some wild dreams that didn't work out and some noble hopes that did.

The earliest known residents of Wisconsin were the Menominee Indians, who settled along the western shore of Green Bay. According to their ancient lore, the Menominee descended from a great bear and other spiritual beings at the mouth of the Menominee River, and took their name from the wild rice that served as a main part of their diet (Menominee means "wild rice eater"). Archaeological evidence suggests that the Menominee are actually part of the Algonquin speaking Indians of what is now northern New York, and that they had been chased into Wisconsin by the Iroquois hundreds of years before Europeans came to the Western Hemisphere.

The closest Indian settlement to what is now Appleton is believed to have been a village of the Winnebago Tribe, located on Doty Island, between Menasha and Neenah Some historians say that the Winnebago are part of the Sioux nation, from the eastern part of the United States, where Virginia and the Carolinas are today, but the evidence remains inconclusive. Nearby were the Fox, or Outagamie Indians, possibly from Lower Michigan. Like the Menominee and Winnebago, the Iroquois may have driven them from their original homelands.

Fur traders seeking to do business with Fox River Valley Indians were the first settlers in Appleton. Hippolyte Grignon built the White Heron in 1835 to house his family and serve as an inn and trading post.

With the financial backing of Amos Lawrence, the Lawrence Institute was chartered in 1847. Samuel Appleton donated $10,000 to the newly founded college library, and in appreciation, his name was given to the community. Appleton shares its history with Lawrence University, for the two grew simultaneously. The close relationship established in the early years continues to exist. Appleton was incorporated first as a village in 1853 and later as a city in 1857.

In 1850, Daniel Huntley taught in the first free public school. The St. Mary Catholic Church opened the first parochial school in the community in 1864. The first 4-year high school began operating in 1876 in the Hercules School and Kindergarten was initiated in 1898 in Lincoln School. With population growth came the need for additional facilities.

In 1882 America's first hydroelectric power station was opened there. Milling dominated Appleton's early economy. Foremost among the city's diversified manufactures are paper and paper-mill machinery and equipment. Fox Valley Technical Institute from 1967, is in Appleton.

Area business has been responsible for Appleton's economic prosperity and progressive attitude. The paper industry, beginning with the building of the first paper mill in the city in 1853, has been at the forefront of the development of Appleton, In order to provide electricity to this industry, the nation's first hydro-electric central station began operation in Appleton on September 30, 1882. Not too long afterward, in August of 1886, Appleton was the site for another national first, the operation of a commercially successful electric streetcar company. Electric lights replaced gas lamps on College Avenue in 1912.

Our community also made history when Alfred Galpin put together his own telephone in 1877, connecting his bank and his residence. Later, a druggist installed several phones in his store, linking them with those in other offices. This Wisconsin Telephone Company purchased this exchange in 1881.

Retail trade has also contributed to the area's progress. Because stores have always been concentrated on College Avenue, businessmen actively cooperate with city government in downtown redevelopment. A major convention center, the Paper Valley Hotel, was opened in 1982 and a shopping complex, The Avenue, commenced operations in March of 1987. From its beginnings in 1853 as the Appleton Crescent, now the Appleton Post Crescent, the newspaper has provided coverage of the political, educational and industrial arenas of the community.

Appleton traditionally has had a commitment to vocational education. The Vocational School was established in 1912, and the first facility in the United States to be built exclusively for this purpose was erected here in 1917. When the State of Wisconsin was divided into vocational, technical and adult education districts in 1965, the local program was expanded and the Fox Valley Technical College was established.

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