View of the city of Oconomowoc, Wis. Waukesha County 1885. [Drawn by] H. Wellge. Beck & Pauli, litho. Panoramic view map of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, published by Norris, Wellge & Co. in 1885, reprint. Like many other towns in Wisconsin, U. S. development began in the 1830's and 40's. Charles Sheldon is credited with building the first cabin in Oconomowoc in April, 1837.
Below is a fascinating account of early days in Oconomowoc, as prepared for and printed in the "Oconomowoc Free Press" in October, 1904 by Mrs. W. O. Roberts who read her paper before the Fortnightly Club's Landmarks Day Meeting.
Features numbered & lettered references to the following locations:
SUMMER RESIDENCES. A. Fred. W. Peck. B. Clarence J. Peck. C. Walter L. Peck (Islandale). D. Henry F. Billings (Islandale). E. G. A. Seaverns, Breeze Bank. F. E. C. Simmons, Idlewild. G. H. H. Shufeldt, Anchorage. H. H. Schuttler. I. Thomas Marston, Jr., Etterby Cottage. J. David B. Gould.
1. Townsend House. 2. The Woodlands, D. W. Small, Proprietor. 3. Jones House, Wm. M. Jones, Proprietor. 4. Draper Hall, C. B. Draper, Proprietor. 5. William Tell House, F. Gerber, Proprietor. 6. Besser House, W. Besser, Proprietor. 7. Commercial House, Wm. Coyle, Proprietor. 8. Free Press Office. 9. Herald Office. 10. Oconomowoc Yacht Club. 11. Oconomowoc Navigation Co.'s Lock. 12. Episcopal Church. 13. Congregational Church. 14. Methodist Church. 15. Catholic Church. 16. German Lutheran Church. 17. Norwegian Lutheran Church. 18. German Methodist Church. 19. Norwegian Methodist Church. 20. Norwegian Baptist Church. 21. City Hall. 22. Bordulac Seminary. 23. High School. 24. Graded Schools. 25. Post Office. 26. Epot. 27. Mann's Hall. 28. LaBelle Roller Mills, Brown, Douglass & Brown, Proprietors. 29. Rosbolt & Solveson Lumber Dealers and Planing Mill. 30. Williams & Thompson, Elevator. 31. O. Rosholt, Elevator. 32. Gus Machus, Foundry and Machine Shop. 33. Peter Binzel, City Brewery. 34. Lorleberg's Water Supply Tower. 35. Jones House Livery. 36. W. B. Fay, Livery. 37. H. K. Edgerton & Son, Bankers. 38. Jones & Carpenter, Attorneys at Law. 39. D. McL. Miller, Physician. 40. C. L. Kellogg, Clothing and Groceries. 41. J. S. Tweeden, Tailoring & Gents' Furnishing Goods. 42. Dibble & Brown, Drugs and Groceries. 43. H. Lorleberg, Hardware, Fishing Tackle and Sporting Goods. 44. Oconomowoc Union & Supply Co., General Merchandise. 45. John Sliwinski, Fine Wines, Liquors, Cigars and Billiard Hall. 46. John F. Schemmel, Wines Liquors and Cigars. 47. Henry J. Becker, Meat Market. 48. W. J. Bushman, Variety Store. 49. Johnson & Trealoff, Harnesses and Carriage Trimming.
Originally printed in the "Oconomowoc Free Press" in October, 1904 by Mrs. W. O. Roberts (not included with map):
"The first white man who has left a record of having set foot on the soil of Oconomowoc was Aumable Vieau, a brother-in-law of Solomon Juneau, when in 1827 he came to Waukesha county to trade with the Indians.
In 1836 Philo Brewer, Lester Rockwell Hatch and Z. Kneeland came to Oconomowoc on a tour of inspection. Brewer built a shanty where the present cemetery now is, intending to build a dam from Rockwell's point in the cemetery across to near the Norwegian bridge. He abandoned the project and in 1837 built a dam across Oconomowoc river, near where it empties into La Belle lake. While the dam was in course of sontruction a saw mill was built a little west. Afterward an addition was built on, to grind wheat, with Heath as miller. In 1844 the mill was owned entirely by Hard and Rockwell.
Charles B. Sheldon came to Oconomowoc in 1836, took up his claim, went to Mineral Point and worked through the winter and in April 1837 came to Oconomowoc to reside.
In June 1837 Thomas Salter came. He paid ten shillings per acre for his land. He borrowed part of the money and paid twenty-five per cent interest, and hauled wheat to Milwaukee at fifty cents per bushel to pay the debt.
Mr. Brewer erected a log house near the present residence of C. I. Peck. This was called the first house in the village. About the first Episcopal sercies held in the village were held in this house. Mrs. Rockwell invited Mr. Adams of Nashotah to preach, Mr. William Thompson went over to the mill with others to carry over planks for seats. Mr. Collins and Mrs. Rockwell did the singing. This house was afterwards occupied by Mrs. Christie who came here in 1846.
The next house was built by a Mr. Ottis, who afterwards went to Hartland. Mr. Edsal built on an addition then sold it to Mr. Worthington, father of Frank Worthington. The first frame house was built where the present residence of Mrs. Rockwell now is. Mr. Foster lived there and kept boarders or transients who passed through the place. Day Dewey and John Ferry erected a frame house on the lot north of the present residence of H. K. Edgerton. The first child born in the village was born in this house, Eliza Dewey, born Jan. 17, 1840. On the following Jan. 16m 1841 Charles H. Ferry, son of Mr. and Mrs. John Ferry, was born. He was the first male child born in the village. In March 1841 the first death occurred, that of Mrs. Foster. Her remains were laid away near the site of Zion church, and afterwards removed to Nashotah.
In 1837 or'38 Mr. Brooks built a house three stories with basement where the present residence of H. K. Edgerton now is. It was built of planks set up lengthwise and put together with wooden pins. Later it was taken down and sold to farmers to build shanties with. On the same lot in 1845, John S. Rockwell built the first hotel with Charles Chaffee as proprietor.
In 1844 the first Fourth of July was celebrated. In 1844 George W. Fay and W. W. Collins opened a store. This was regarded as the first regular store.
The building known as the barracks figured quite extensively in the early days of Oconomowoc and was used as a tenement house, school house and hospital. At one time there were eighteen patients in the barracks. It was built by H. McCoy in 1845 and stood on the present site of the mill property. Afterwards it was moved and used by Geo. Stephens as a cooper shop.
In 1839 Martin Z. Dibble came to Oconomowoc. There were but seven or eight shanties. He often fished at night with a jack where the city hall now stands.
One of the first buildings on Milwaukee street was a blacksmith shop where George Warr's shoe store stands. The stumps were leveled off and used as a foundation.
David Hastings came in 1842. There were no roads save the one to Summit. He bought three chairs, and with the aid of an auger and hickory poles soon had two bedsteads made. The store and post office being at Summit and the postage 25 cents and not paid in advance as it is now, Mr. Hastings said, "I, as some others, often had to let letters remain two or three weeks before we could get money to release them." Mr. Hastings said he often read of poker parties now-a-days. In those days we had parties, too, and were treated to the best the house afforded, a pan of rutabagas with a case knife to scrape them.
In the fall of 1849 the first church was built on the lot now occupied by F. B. Brown's drug store. John S. Rockwell gave the lot, in fact it was through Mr. Rockwell's generosity that all of the churches in the place had their beginning. The lumber and part of the glass was furnished by George Williams. Mr. Williams had intended building a barn with this lumber but for the sake of having a church gave up the barn until later.
W. W. Collins was the first mayor.
The first cemetery was where the Marston place now is.
The advent of the legal profession was in 1848 when Joel R. Carpenter came here.
The first school house was built in 1842. It was a log house near Mr. Wetterhall's. Miss Lydia Payne was the teacher with ten pupils.
No matter how long this world may swing on and Oconomowoc remain a prosperous community no one within its borders today or hereafter can be a pioneer in the sense in which the term is here used. Pioneerism is forever finished in Oconomowoc. By its light however the historian can guide her readers back to the unadorned domain of the early settler and watch the struggle necessary to make the wilderness blossom as the rose."
- Mrs. W. O. Roberts
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