Oshkosh

History

Oshkosh was named for Menominee Chief Oshkosh, whose name meant "claw" (cf. Ojibwe oshkanzh, "the claw"). Although the fur trade attracted the first European settlers to the area as early as 1818, it never became a major player in the fur trade. The 1820s mining boom in southwest Wisconsin along with the opening of the Erie Canal shifted commercial activity away from the Fox River Valley and Green Bay. Soon after 1830, much of the trade moved west, as there had been over-trapping in the region. Following the publicity caused by the Black Hawk War in 1832, there was increased interest in settling Wisconsin by Yankees (from New England and upstate New York), and by 1836 the cities of Milwaukee, Madison, Janesville, Beloit, and Fond du Lac were founded, with Madison the capital of a new territorial government, setting the stage for the economic and political importance of the southern part of the state. However, Oshkosh would continue to be one of Wisconsin's top five largest cities into the twentieth century. The establishment and growth of the wood industry in the area spurred development of Oshkosh. Already designated as the county seat, Oshkosh was incorporated as a city in 1853. It had a population of nearly 2,800. The lumber industry became well established as businessmen took advantage of navigable waterways to provide access to both markets and northern pineries. The 1859 arrival of rail transportation expanded the industry's ability to meet the demands of a rapidly growing construction market. At one time, Oshkosh was known as the "Sawdust Capital of the World" due to the number of lumber mills in the city, 11 by 1860. During the Civil War, the 21st Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry, of the Union Wisconsin Volunteers was organized at Oshkosh, taking in many new…

Geography

Oshkosh is located at (44.024983, −88.551336). It is located along the Fox River between the eastern shore of Lake Butte des Morts and the western shore of Lake Winnebago, within the Winnebago Pool of lakes. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. The City of Oshkosh forms the center of a metropolitan area reaching into the adjacent towns of: the Town of Oshkosh in the north and the towns of Algoma to the west, Nekimi in the southwest and Black Wolf ton the southeast, all within Winnebago County. The shared border within the Town of Oshkosh is particularly complex, involving a multitude of exclaves and panhandles. Oshkosh has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen: Dfa). Summer days are warm to hot with cool to mild nights. Winters are cold and long with moderate snowfall. Precipitation peaks from late spring to early fall.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  6,543
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  6,027
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  5,989
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  5,934
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  5,753
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  5,239
• Downy Woodpecker

  Dryobates pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  4,752
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  4,731

Largest nearby schools

• West High
  High · Oshkosh · 1,627 students · 14.4:1 ratio
• North High
  High · Oshkosh · 1,265 students · 12.4:1 ratio
• Winneconne Elementary
  Elementary · Winneconne · 874 students · 14.8:1 ratio
• Ready 4 Learning School
  Other · Oshkosh · 574 students · 35.9:1 ratio
• Winneconne High
  High · Winneconne · 539 students · 13.8:1 ratio
• Merrill Middle
  Middle · Oshkosh · 453 students · 10.5:1 ratio
• Traeger Elementary
  Elementary · Oshkosh · 439 students · 12.2:1 ratio
• Traeger Middle
  Middle · Oshkosh · 431 students · 12.7:1 ratio