History, Winnebago County, Wisconsin: Its cities, towns, resources, people

              XIV.
f3UILDING   A    COUNTY—ITS    CIVIC    ADMINISTEATION, COUETS, SCHOOLS, BUILDINGS AND INSTITUTIONS.
The white inhabitants of the area set off as Winnebago county in 1840 were a few farmer pioneers about Butte des Morts, and at the future site of Oshkosh, then known as Saukeer, Morton's Point or Stanley's Ferry, also Knagg's Ferry and Athens. The United States Menominee Mission at Neenah was abandoned in 1836 and the property as a reservation withheld from sale. By an act of the Legislature passed January 6, 1840, Winnebago county was set off from Brown county and made a separate county with the boundaries as they are at present and have been since that first law describing the boundary. In this same law Nathaniel Perry, Eobert Grignon and Morgan L. Martin were appointed commissioners to locate the county seat and purchase a quarter section of land for the use of the county upon which to locate the court house. It does not appear that these commis¬ sioners ever met or ever acted on the subject. Prior to this act there was an act passed March 8, 1839, making a township of Winnebago of the territory since formed into the towns of Menasha, Neenah, Clayton and two townships of Outagamie county, in which is now located the city of Appleton; but at that date containing only the White Heron Inn of Hipolite Grig¬ non at the Grand Chute. The first election was to be held at the home of Nathaniel Perry, who still resided at Winnebago Eapids. By the same act of 1839 the town of Butte des Morts was made of the territory now included in the four townships bounded by the present towns of Winneconne, Omro, Algoma, Oshkosh and the square township of Vinland. The first election was to be held at the residence of Webster Stanley.
These laws seem to have been inoperative, possibly because, of the small population, and February 18, 1842, a law was ap¬ proved organizing the counties of Winnebago and Calumet from