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 Fond du Lac, WI
The very same former federal
judge (James Duane Doty) who purchased over 1000 acres of swamp land
in an area that later was voted to become the state capitol of
Wisconsin also in the very same year (1836) formed a partnership
with about 20 investors and created a land company to sell 3,705
acres of rich, fertile land at the southern end of Lake Winnebago.
Read more...
Fond du Lac Area Articles:
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A
Journey to the Far End of the Lake
The lake itself - Lake Winnebago - at 137,700 acres is the largest
inland lake in the United States, yet only averages about 15 feet in
depth. (Make a note of the fact that it is considered as one
of the nation's top walleye lakes and has lake sturgeon as well...)
One of the most interesting things is that there are no resorts in
Fond du Lac proper -
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In
a Hurry to Get There...
I remember working at a Shell gas station there one summer, trying
to earn some additional spending money for college. I was
pumping premium gas (self-serve was unheard of at that time)
for $0.34 per gallon. How's that for cheap gas...
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Maps
Fond du Lac
cont.
In French, Fond du Lac is interpreted to mean bottom or foot of the
lake". Only after regular mail service was established did this
area at the bottom of Lake Winnebago really begin to grow. Missing
out at being named the Capitol of the state of Wisconsin by a single
vote, Fond du Lac grew to almost 4000 citizens by the mid-1850s.
By 1860, a railroad that later became the Chicago & Northwestern
began to deliver to Chicago, Illinois, goods from Lake Winnebago and
the Fond du Lac area.
The rest is the richness of
history. The rails from Chicago and the lure of pleasure boating on
Lake Winnebago brought increasing numbers of people to Fond du Lac
today home to just under 45,000 residents, but also many vacationers
at all times of the year. They come to share in the history, the
arts, the parks, the boating and fishing, the gardens, the trails,
the dining and shopping, and just as often to share in the numerous
wintertime activities as well.
Fond du Lac has entered the
new century and the new millennium respectful of its past and with
confidence in its people and its strengths.
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