Fox Lake - A Brief
History
Built on the south
shore of Fox Lake, the city that is its namesake was Dodge County's first
settlement. Established in 1838, Fox Lake was a key stop between Fort
Winnebago in Portage and Fort Howard in Green Bay.
The first inhabitants
of Fox Lake were Winnebago Indians who named the area around the 2,625-acre
lake "Hosh-a-rac-ah-tah", meaning "good land". Later,
it came to be called Waushara, meaning "fish spear". Finally,
it came to be called Fox Lake. The origin of the name is attributed to
the shape of the lake. However, an account of a harrowing tale of a lost
trapper's survival and eventual rescue by an old man from the Winnebago
tribe named Big Fox is cited as how the lake and city got their name.
This story was published in the 1880 Columbia County History compiled
by Fox Lake librarian Julie Fleming.
Knowledge of the
history and archaeology of Fox Lake was enriched in 1983 when the Fox
Lake Inland Lake Rehabilitation and Protection District installed a sewer
system. Workers uncovered one of the Wisconsin's largest archaeological
discoveries on Elmwood Island in Fox Lake.
The Details of the
dig and artifacts were painstakingly catalogued and preserved. The Fox
Lake Historical Museum, in the old train depot, displays the findings
from the archaeological dig as well as other local history. |
