Oshkosh: Wisconsin's Event City
Our History - the Context of Our Commitment
- 66,080 people: the 2010 Census estimate for the population of Oshkosh, Wisconsin
- 166,308 people: the 2010 Census estimate for the population for Winnebago County, Wisconsin
In the summer of 1836 the first settler arrived in the Oshkosh area -- Webster Stanley migrated here from Ohio and started a ferry boat operation. Within several months, he built his home and soon established a trading post, tavern and an inn. Within three years this area became home to more than 100 people. Brooklyn, located on the south side of the Fox River, and Athens on the north merged and officially adopted the name "Oskosh" after the Chief of the nearby Menominee Indian Tribe. Some time later an "h" was added and it became known as Oshkosh.
It was Incorporated as a village in 1846, and in 1847 Morris Firman began operating the first sawmill in Oshkosh; within several years sawmills lined the Fox River. In 1853 Oshkosh was incorporated as a city. The great Chicago fire of 1871 created a boom in Oshkosh's lumber trade, as much of the lumber used to rebuild Chicago was produced by Oshkosh sawmills. By 1873 twenty-four sawmills, fifteen shingle mills, and seven sash and door factories were in operation, and Oshkosh became known as "Sawdust City." Reference: Oshkosh Sesquicentennial 2003 - A Wave of Progress
