TOWN HISTORIES

Town of Mishicot

Town of Mishicot
Village of Mishicot
Plat Map of the Village of Mishicot
Village of Tisch Mills

TOWN OF MISHICOT
From "History of Manitowoc County" by Dr. Louis Falge, 1912 Vol. 1, pg. 329

The town of Mishicot was separated from the town of Two Rivers November 15, 1852, and at that time included what is now the town of Gibson, which was detached from Mishicot November 9, 1858. The town was named after the Indian chief Mishicot (meaning hairy leg), who was the grandfather of Benjamin Y. Mexico’s mother, an Ottawa, and whose sway extended over the Twin River territory. The first settler was Daniel Smith in section 5, in 1844, who soon after erected a sawmill there. The first private school was taught by Miss Harriet Higgins. The first public school was established in 1859, with George Peterson as instructor. H. Cogswell was the first white child born in the town; this was in 1846. The first marriage was that of Nathan Daniels to Miss Sear in 1851. The first election was held April 5, 1853, Albert Borcherdt being elected chairman and Lorenz Peterson, clerk. In the same year the name of the town was changed to Saxonburgh, owing to a large number of Saxons having settled there. The first of these (fifteen families) came in 1847, through the instrumentality of Frederick Horcherdt, who conducted a sawmill at Neshoto five miles south, and who came here in 1841, being the first German to locate in the county. In 1854 the original name of Mishicot was restored to the town Oldenburgers and Rhenish Prussians flocked into the town at about the time of its organization.

Among the early settlers were: J. Trossen, N. Trossen, J. Scheuer, J. Schmidt, J. Runge, 1847; Jul. Lindstedt, F. Halberg, J. Mueller, F. Braassh, J. Altmeier, Peter Rau, 1848; H. Beyer, B. Soenksen, 1852; A. E. Selk, A. Cayo, 1854; L. Damon, L. Koehnke, 1855; H. Mueller, 1856.

Mishicot ranks highly as an agricultural town containing a large number of exceedingly well developed farms. It has also developed a large number of bright minds who have made their mark along political and professional lines.
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MISHICOTT
In company of Mr. Fischbein, of the Badger State Manufacturing Co., we took a drive into the country last Wednesday, directing our first to the village of Mishicott, where he made a short stop, and then proceeded to the beautiful and fertile farming region which lies to the north and east of that busy little burg. The farms located along the road which we traveled are said to equal any in the county in point of soil; and the tidy appearance of the barns and farm houses which we passed certainly indicated thrift and prosperity on the part of the farmers. We saw several fields of winter wheat during one drive which looked exceedingly fine. Most of the spring wheat which was up also looked flourishing. The village of Mishicott is a handsome little town, and deserves a more extended notice than we are able to give it at present; but we shall endeavor to do it justice at some future time. It has a good water-power, a flour-mill, a blacksmith shop, two churches, and a fine large school house. Hitching our horse at the hotel of which Mr. Damon is the popular landlord, we gave that gentleman a short call. Afterwards we called on Mr. Heyroth, who is doing a large mercantile business there; on Selk & Son, who have a large store and are doing a splendid business, and on Mr. John Terens, who also has a large store and deals in hardware. We looked wistfully over the river where J. Linstedt's large brewery looms up, but were unable to visit the vaults as we would like to have done had we had time. Mr. Linstedt has the reputation of making excellent beer, and from the sample we got at A.C. Terens' we should say that he deserves it. Mr. F. Zander, owns a hotel in the village which is quite a popular resort, but for want of time we failed to give him a call, as was also the case with Mr. Braasch, who keeps a hotel and saloon on the southern outskirts of the village. We noticed several new buildings, going up, which indicate that the village is neither dead nor sleeping, but full of life and activity. Manitowoc Co. Chronicle (Two Rivers), June 1, 1875
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VILLAGE OF MISHICOT
From "History of Manitowoc County" by Dr. Louis Falge, 1912 Vol. 1, pg. 329-330

The unincorporated village of Mishicot is a thriving little burgh located,on the East Twin River in the southern part of the town, about thirteen miles north of the county seat. It owes its origin to the erection of a sawmill by Alfred Smith and Ira Clark in 1855, the river affording excellent water power at the time. In 1859 the village contained about thirty houses, a sawmill, a shingle mill and a planing mill. Among the principal merchants at the time were Charles Tisch, D. H. Van Valkenburgh and Lafayette Smith.

At the present time the village has a Catholic church, a Lutheran church (history of St. Peter's Lutheran Church) and a Methodist church, and daily mail connections with Two Rivers, the nearest railway station, eight miles south. It has a bank, four hotels, three general stores, furniture store, hardware store, shoe store, two blacksmith and wagonmaker props, two butcher shops, a saw and planing mill, a grist mill, a saw and grist mill, a large brewery, two cheese factories and two cigar factories. It further has a town hall, an opera house, an excellent fire department and an electric light plant, the dynamos being run by water power, a fine cement dam having been built for that purpose. The population of the village is estimated to be about 400.

The population of the town in 1910 was 1,534.
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VILLAGE OF MISHICOTT. This finely located and pleasant village, is distant from Manitowoc about eleven miles, and is father ahead in size and population, than is considered by people generally. We must confess our own surprise, when, on visiting it a few days since, we found a thriving village of thirty or more houses, a fine water-power, and stores and shops of all kinds, instead of a town in the wilderness. The country round is in a high state of cultivation, the farms look neat, and everything betokens a thriving and prosperous community. Mishicott is situated on the river of the same name, and was first settled and started by the late Daniel Smith, Esq. A saw mill, containing two saws, shingle mill, &c., are kept busily employed, and we heard of more improvements being made upon the water-power, among them, that of a siding-mill. A stock of Dry Goods, Groceries, and other articles, is kept by Mr. Guy Miles, and another by Mr. Charles Tisch, Messres D.H. VanValkenburgh and Lafayette Smith, are erectng a new store, which they intend to fill also with goods. A very good tavern is kept by Mr. Damon. The residences are built in good taste, the people are kind and hospitable, and altogther, but few village in the state can excel Mishicott. It is quite a point for the purchase of shingles, and situated as it is, in a fine farming country, with a good water-power, it cannot help becoming a large and prosperous town. The principal proprietor of the town is Mr. Alfred Smith. The estate of his father has also a large interest in the place. Mr. Smith is a warm hearted, and truly gentlemanly man, and from that he knows how to enjoy life, and practices the enjoyment. Commend us to such as him and his lady, when the stomach is in need of sustenance. Mr. Joseph Rankin, the Chairman of that town, is also a resident of the village, and we are under many obligations to him for the kindness exhibited to us. Altogther, our visit to Mishicott was a pleasnat one, and we shall endeavor to be no stanger among its people. Manitowoc Pilot, Friday, August 12, 1859 P.3

ORIGINAL PLAT MAP OF THE VILLAGE OF MISHICOT 1859

TISCH MILLS
From "History of Manitowoc County" by Dr. Louis Falge, 1912 Vol. 1, pg. 330

At the northern town limits of Mishicot there is located a small hamlet called Tisch Mills, named after Charles Tisch, who had erected there a saw and a grist mill during the early sixties. The place now contains a flouring mill, hotel, blacksmith shop, tin shop, harness shop, butcher shop, shoe shop and a cheese factory. The postoffice there has been discontinued, the mail being delivered and collected by rural route carriers.