Oshkosh High School - Index Yearbook (Oshkosh, WI)

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FSE? S3307 Wg? N -'5 c 1 7 f ,X ' 4 r g A . X,,, V -at . ASQ. SQ v . l L 4 v il' 5- - s Y ' ,- ' 2 N A' F s QI V: 'E 4 fi ji S N N S I S ' Oshkosh has undergone many changes since this sketch was made. Main Street, , N which is shown here, has been greatly altered. ,The horse and buggy has given way to the yi automobile, the street has been paved, and most of these buildings replaced, not to men- , : X tion the construction that has extended this thoroughfare north to the Fair Grounds and - Q K south, ferr across the bridge. f Q :HP Courtesy of Oshkosh Public Museum. A ,: ff 7 s ls - s tl , A l'l1story of Oshkosh N N v 'f l Oshkosh may justly be called the Sawdust City, for it was built upon a founda- Z tion of sawdust and, through the lumber business it has grown to its present size and has N, Q gained recognition throughout the world. Its history entails many thrilling incidents ' ' O which befell the men who first made Oshkosh their home and gave to it a historical X background unsurpassed by any other locality. The details connected with the founding 2. A of the city and its rapid growth can not be dwelt upon hereg space demands but a brief ' A sketch of its development, I I l E The Menominee Indians were the first inhabitants of this region about lakes Wine- ' Z bago and Butte des Mortes and the Fox River. The tribe dearly loved the wooded I Q shores of the lakes and found the location a fine one for hunting and fishing. In 1836, IN however, Oshkosh, the chief of the tribe, and all the influential men were called X Q together at the treaty grounds of the Cedars by Governor Dodge, then governor of Wis- y 4 i consin. As a result of this meeting, the tribe ceded a huge tract of land to the govern- il Ll: ment, including a large part of the present Winnebago county. Thus the seven hundred Indians who comprised this settlement removed to the i . south shore of Lake Poygan where they lived happily until l848. Then by the treaty ' Q 'Z-, I of Poygan, the Menominees were forced to cede all their Wisconsin grounds and moved IES- into Minnesota. Since the new lands did not supply their needs, the tribe was permitted by the Wisconsin legislature to return to Wisconsin and was granted reserve lands on the Wolf River, nine miles north of Shawano. The Menominee reservation is located t. u ' there today. M This action on the part of the government seemed harsh to Chief Oshkosh. '15 ' Therefore, in 1853, he sent a plea to the government declaring that his people were fi destitute of food and in need. By the Northwest Ordinance the tribe was recompensed IX f X for the land which had been ceded. Many times, after his Indians were placed on the - -: 'Y f X N-EW K - --FZ' .-4-., 'f ' :..:.'7 T Xl Page fourteen

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i V ' i ' K ,, .., Q3 333. ,., 5. J Rb6i, ::::-!!E' . ig if is-QQ lag.: ?5:6M xA.-3?-iii?-X 43533-gay l H l I' ,,A.-.-... u ., W Y...-,,,h,, ,s..-i, - Q32 Q' rf' . S.-gg, l ' , 17 :s s - Q1 1 u V lL, l - lx :fs -' W j 4- , 1 J' x if .l .2 , if li i .Q .. .QQ :gf . 1 l , l 4. . ' ' 'Qu 7. 5 1' l 4' if 'V Although today there are numerous saw mills and factories along f ' the banks of the Fox River, few of the old mills are now standing in H their original form. This picture shows the old Hollister Amos Mill, ' V which has been replaced. QUE ' 1 Courtesy of Oshkosh Public Museum. at X 1 X is A 7 V Z ff l l il N .K 1 W ll X f x 7fi-W ef-4 'f'.5 Sy22.?f 'f ' xxx o -' Page thirteen'

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P we-eff 'Q4-- ? P -em , .9 F2 - 1 if 'n .' 1 I 7 The above is a picture of the first Oshkosh High School, erected in 1866, and reservation, Chief Oshkosh returned to the beloved scenes of his boyhood on the shore of Lake Winnebago, In 1836 the first white men settled on the shores of Lake Winnebago at the mouth of the Fox River. Webster Stanley, a trader from Green Bay, found the site favorably situated and established himself here. The next year a few more settlers found their way to these shores, among whom were Chester, Henry, and Amos Gallup and George Wright. Coming across the ice of Lake Winnebago, Mr. YVright and his son, who had settled in Brothertown, de- cided to make this their permanent home, and purchased a homestead of one hundred twenty acres, on which they erected a cabin of hewn logs. These early pioneers endured many hardships. They were compelled to go sixty miles by foot on a narrow trail to Green Bay for supplies and food. A short time later C. J. Coon settled further up the river at the point l destroyed by fire in 19.01. where the rival settlement of Alg-oma had sprung up. .55 5,517 tiff bflmifg In 1840, the settlement had grown to such a size that 1 igigggundell bb' fhiS WOOGBH it was desirable to secure a name for it. No oflicialnname , ' had been decided upon, although it had been variously ig called, according to the personal preferences of people. One of the oddest and most A popular was HAthens. When it was decided t-o vote upon a suitable title, traders as i far up as Winnecone were invited to attend the election. Some in fun, others in earnest, 7' were present. The official name chosen by the people was Oshkosh, in honor of the Vx, ' brave chief of the Menominees who had forfeited the land that the white people might ' expand. SN W. W. Wright ceded a strip of his land, running from the present West Irving ,f Street to the Fox River, to Joseph Jackson. The two platted a portion of their land f ' and offered Webster Stanley a lot, on condition that he would build and maintain thereon a public house as he was doing, at the mouth of the river, and move his ferry up the river to Ferry Street, the present Main Street. Nlr. Stanley accepted the proposi f tion and soon built a public house, which provided accommodations for the few travelers and local boarders. 9 By the unanimous vote of the people at a meeting held in Stanley's tavern, the first Fourth of July celebration was held in 1848. Committees were appointed to care for the amusements and preparations. As there was no actual road down to the river, but just a trail, Mr. Jackson and Mr. Wright, on the day before the celebration, took out their scythes and mowed a road down to the log dock where the present Main Street i . bridge stands. Early on the morning of the Fourth, some powder was burnt in old 'i muskets and shotguns to supply the necessary noise. The martial music consisted of a Z1 snare drum and fife. Mr. Jackson was chosen marshal and Mr. Washburn, a lawyer 7 from the East, orator of the day. The people marched to the site of the present High 55' School where seats and a platform had been erected. After the Declaration of Inde- 'gil pendence had been read and the oration delivered, the crowd marched to the public 453' tavern where a fine dinner was served. After the dinner, the people were invited by the fi crew of the Manchester, the first steamboat on the Fox, for a boat ride. It is interesting to note that in 1850 the first telegraph connection between Mil- waukee and Green Bay was run through Oshkosh. This was an advantage for it put the settlement on the map. One of the London papers of that time contained an 5? article about the beauties of Lake Winnebago and the Fox River. In .1853 Oshkosh was incorporated as a village. The charter granting, the in- ? corporation was accepted by the people, and the offices were filled immediately. The wt c x .-.-- , '7 f' X Q age fifteen