Stockbridge History Dates Back to Native Americans
The Village of Stockbridge is located along the east shore of Lake Winnebago about 20 miles north of the City of Fond du Lac and 15 miles south of the City of Appleton. While we are a small community, less than 700 residents, the Village has a lot to offer.
Consider the excellent public school system, stunning and picturesque parks and recreation areas, a first rate Fire Department and First Responders Unit, and over 2.5 square miles of vacant developable land.
New marina facilities provide direct access to Lake Winnebago for fishing, boating, and other water related activities. The Village recently completed a long range land use plan and zoning ordinance to accommodate new residential, commercial, and industrial development, all readily served with public sanitary sewerage and water supply facilities.
Some key dates in Stockbridge History
Consider the excellent public school system, stunning and picturesque parks and recreation areas, a first rate Fire Department and First Responders Unit, and over 2.5 square miles of vacant developable land.
New marina facilities provide direct access to Lake Winnebago for fishing, boating, and other water related activities. The Village recently completed a long range land use plan and zoning ordinance to accommodate new residential, commercial, and industrial development, all readily served with public sanitary sewerage and water supply facilities.
Some key dates in Stockbridge History
- 1830 – According to the 1978 edition of The Stockbridge Story. Early explorers described the Town like this. “The area was beautiful. The land was low and marshy at first, and then rose to heights some 200 feet high, with limestone ledges lining the cliffs. They found fast running streams with enough current to run mills. The view was breathtaking. Forest of the best timber sloped down to the edge of the lake and to the south beyond the horizon.”
- 1832-1856 – The Town of Stockbridge was formed through a series of Indian Treaties.
- 1832 – The Town received its name from the Stockbridge Munsee Indian Tribe that relocated here from Stockbridge, Massachusetts.
- 1832 – The land in Stockbridge was originally surveyed by 60 acre lots rather than by metes and bounds because the government thought the Indians would understand the location of a piece of land by saying lot #278 rather than by a description such as N/W ¼ of the N/E corner of section etc.
- 1853 – In His Gazetteer, John Hunt described the Town as a “heavy growth of hard timber.”
- 1856 – The Calumet County Seat originally located in Stockbridge was moved to Chilton.
- 1860-1880 – Dairy and Cheese making took over wheat growing as a main source of income for Farmers.
- 1936 – Land was purchased by Calumet County for developing Calumet County Park.
- 1949 – The Stockbridge Community Fire Dept. was established.
- 1972 – Construction of the Community Hall and Fire station was completed.
- 1994 – The Stockbridge First Responders were organized.