In June of 1849 five Vermonters - E.C. Sessions, Martin Burnhams, William Hibbard, Joseph Hibbard, and their brother-in-law Mr. Pratt, started out on foot from Plymouth - west of Sheboygan looking for the widely publicized Indian lands obtained by the U.S. Government through an October 1848 treaty. Proceeding along the east side of Lake Winnebago, they stayed for the night at the Stock Bridge Indian Settlement and arrived the next day where the city of Menasha now stands.

   Traveling north through Mukwa, to a spot now known as the City of Weyauwega, they heard of two men who were holding claim for a mill site. The Indians told of a wonderful place a few miles north up the river called "The Falls". On hearing this, the two men couldn't wait to see this wonderful spot for themselves. Upon their arrival, they became the first white men to penetrate the wilderness.

   They surveyed and set up stakes for three 80-acre tracts where Mr. Hibbard and Mr. Sessions built their homesteads. Other settlers arrived quickly and built cabins and in August of 1849 the first white woman, Mrs. C.W. Cooper joined here husband.

   Growth was steady and in 1852 a post office was established and the settlement was officially named "Waupaca". David Scott, who was the first president of the village also served as the first postmaster.

   The village of Waupaca was incorporated with the election of a president and the Trustees of the Board on May 4, 1857. Between the natural scenery and the power of the falls in the Waupaca River Falls and the nearby Crystal River, mills were built as early as 1849. With the first business being a flour mill, other businesses and manufacturing establishments joined in the pioneering move from the Eastern states.

The county seat was located here and a courthouse built and general stores and other small businesses soon sprang up as well, bringing with them settlers who contributed to the growth of the city.

Waupaca continues to grow and prosper today. It is a city rich in history, with its vision on the future.