The history of the town of Sheboygan Falls and the present city of Sheboygan Falls are so closely connected that they necessarily must be taken up together. The most interesting events related to the settlement and subsequent developments of the town, as well as Sheboygan county, are found in and near Sheboygan Falls. It was there that the first permanent settlement was made in the county, although a year previous a spirited, though temporary, settlement was made at the present site of the city of Sheboygan.

The first authentic record showing the sale of land in the town of Sheboygan Falls indicates that on March 20, 1835, the upper half of Section 36, on which the present city of Sheboygan Falls is located was conveyed by the United States government to Randolph B. Marcy, who became the first owner of land in the township.

Marcy never settled there, and Col. Silas B. Stedman, who came from Massachusetts, and who bought a part of Marcy's interest on December 1, 1835, was the first to settle within the town limits. Mr. Stedman contracted to have a sawmill finished for him by June, 1836; but when he arrived with his family he found that it was not completed, and it was not until the following winter that the mill was ready for use.

David Giddings superintended the building of the sawmill, and on March 10, 1838, the records show, Mr. Giddings bought the northeast quarter of Section 36. Included in the land which he purchased is the present Pinehurst Farm and the property upon which the Pine Lodge was erected. The original Gidding's home was located near the Falls cemetery.

At the time this sawmill was built on the east side of the river, near the present new bridge, a log cabin was also put up for the use of the workmen employed in Stedman's mill.

It is interesting to note that in 1837, lumber sold for $50.00 a thousand feet, and that the wages of good mechanics were $5.00 a day. The following year, however, the entire West suffered a depression and prices and wages generally declined in consequence.

In 1837, John McNish, a shoemaker, arrived and built the first frame house in Sheboygan Falls. This house was later occupied by Col. Stedman and, for a number of years, a part of it was occupied by Hon. John E. Thomas and his family. This building still stands where it was erected ninety years ago, at the crest of the hill directly north of the present interurban station.

A dwelling house, located on the east side of the river, long occupied by Dr. Shepherd, Sr., was the third house built in the town. C. D. Cole/Colo?? lived in this house during the early years of Sheboygan Falls.

In August, 1837, Deacon William Trowbridge moved on a farm located two and one-half miles west of the Falls, which was the first settlement in the town outside the village of Sheboygan Falls and remained the only one for several years.

During the ensuing five years the development of the town was slow and intermittent; but between the years 1842 and 1852, there was an influx of New Englanders and German emigrants, which gave a spur to the growth of the village and town.

In 1840 and 1841 Samuel Rounseville and Herman Pierce arrived at the Falls and remained. In September, 1842, George C. Cole with his mother and sisters came and at this time there were four dwellings and about twenty-five inhabitants, all told, besides Deacon Trowbridge's family on the farm. George O. Trowbridge, E. S. Thorp and Seth Morse, unmarried men, lived there at the time.

In June, 1844, Dorotha, wife of Deacon Trowbridge, died, and was the first white woman who died in the county, and the first person buried at the Falls.

This year came new settlers, among whom were Darius Leavens, Henry Williams, Silas Jackson, John Smith, Almond Andrews, and others. Village lots were given to those who would build upon them, and a number were occupied in this way.

Dr. Coela, a physician and lawyer, came in 1844, as did A. T. Littlefield and Jonathan Leighton, who built a double sawmill on the west side of the river on the present site of the Brickner Woolen Mills.

The population of the village in that year was fifty.

In 1843 a few additions were made to the settlement of the town by several Germans who came and settled on the Green Bay road two and on-half miles north of the Falls in Sections 13 and 14. Among them were E. Logeman and N. Heide. Levi Hubbard also came and remained in town.

Among the earliest settlers in Town Sheboygan Falls, and the dates of their arrival, were:

1837 - James L. Trowbridge on Section 27.

1844 - Joseph Richardson (sawmill) on Section 35; and Ernst Logeman on Section 14.

1845 - John Harcog on Section 5; Hiram Conover on Section 30; William Whiffen on Section 22; George Whiffen on Section 10; George Howard who built a sawmill on Section 17; Newton Goodell and his family drove up from Illinois with a yoke of oxen and located on Section 2?, west of the Falls. James Little located on Section 30 where he rolled up a log house in December six feet high, and moved in on January 1, 1846, with no roof except the chamber floor. This was an open winter and he suffered no great hardship. Nathan Sargent located on Section 26; William Robinson, Joseph Richardson, W. Mayberry and a number of others settled in the village the same year.

1846 - Several newcomers took up land in the town. Among them were John Atwood on Section 26; Jacob Albright on Section 26; Ernst Kalmerton on Section 27; M. Brainard on Section 35; J. H. Denison on Section 35; J. Habighorst on Section 18/13?; N. D. Brown on Section 25; Fred Diers on Section 1; Fred Roelfe on Section 15; Christ. Johanning (a miller) on Section 6; G. W. Peck on Section 36. Among the German arrivals were John Kaestner on Section 4; R. Schlichting on Section 2; John Keller, George and Peter Mats on Section 6; while a number of others located along the Green Bay road.

1847 - Hiram Smith on Section 28; E. L. Sargent on Section 27; E. T. Barron (lightning rod agent) on Section 36; and E. Widder (later a cheesemaker) on Section 12.

1848 - John Halter on Section 34; F. Quasius on Section 13/18?; Manny McKimmon on Section 21; August Ebenreiter on Section 20; F. J. Nohl on Section 6, and J. P. Zonne in the village. During the years 1847 and 1848, several Germans arrived and took up most of the remaining government lands in town.

1849 - O. B. Gerrells on Section 21; Hawley Gerrells on Section 21; J. W. Prange on Section 3/8?; August Arnoldi on Section 11; and Joseph Argenten on Section 13.

1850 - C. Blanck (shoemaker) on Section 6; and Henry Delerlein/Deierlein on Section 5.

1851 - H. Klemme on Section 4; and Henry Tidman on Section 28

1852 - Peter Bohn on Section 32; George Kohl on Section 13; G. Damrow on Section 14; and F. Rahn on Section 7.

1853 - H. Schlichting at Falls; Daniel Schmidt on Section 10; C. Schomberg on Section 3/8?; and Christ. Kroeger on Section 24.

1854 - H. J. Holden (later cheesemaker) on Section 32; Charles A. Joslin on Section 30; F. C. Mather (later manufacturer of butter and cheese) on Section 27; H. Mahler on Section 2; Charles Mandle on Section 29; August Fiebig on Section 33; and Louis Walter (later hotel and meat market proprietor) at Falls.

1855 - Charles Prange on Section 8; Christ. Millert on Section 10; Z. Holden (later cheesemaker) on Section 3?; R. R. White on Section 34; and F. Markwardt on Section 23.

1856 - C. G. Mather (later butter and cheese) on Section 27; and G. Bassuener on Section 8.

1857 - Peter Sloan on Section 33/38?; F. C. Leavens on Section 26; E. Heidenreiter on Section 35; and J. Klocking on Section 16.

1858 - G. W. Poland on Section 32; and John Boldt on Section 15.

1860 - Hugo Liebner (later merchant) at Falls; and Louis Ballschneider (later City Hotel) at Falls.

1861 - William Fenner on Section 26.

A nearly complete and accurate list of residents or property owners in the town of Sheboygan Falls in the year 1873 follows:

North Tier of Sections
F. Rahn; C. Kalberg; P. Federer; C. Wunder; F. Diers; C. Stolzenberg; A. Kletzin; F. Bahlow; J. Braun; M. Liebel; D. and W. and J. W. Prange; H. Mahler; Z. Zemke; A. Knoll; C. Sellem; M. Schwalbe; A. Ziersel; J. Koestner; H. Klemme; C. Rautmann; J. Herzog; C. Gierke; H. Burman; C. Bauman; H. Rautman; G. Dennerlein; H. Gron; P. Mog; M. Mohl; H. Meinert; F. Schmidt; August Schmidt; F. Born; and C. Schonberg.

Second Tier of Sections
E. Hammerschmid; A. Kuhfas; F. Brand; S. and F. Fasse; George Howard; H. Dassow; C. Kaufman; C. Millert; Daniel Schmidt; G. Whiffen; F. Wenthe; J. Boeker/Breker?; D. Kintz; J. Schumacht; W. Kohl; A. Arnoldi; J. Specht; F. Tanzer; B. Drapes; H. Wedepohl; Mrs. Foemme; A. Cappelan; H. Badke; C. and F. Klemme; C. Hichmeier; G. Bassuener; George Howard; C. H. Rautmann; William Hogan; H. Diers; Carl Foeghting; George Beck; J. Never; F. Widder; G. Tanzer; and H. Widder.

Third Tier of Sections
H. Klemme; B. Jaber; P. Mais/Mals; E. Edler; George Howard; F. Schmidt; J. Riemer; J. Markwardt; F. Quasius; G. Kuhl; Henry Habighorst; S. Mals/Mais; S. Rehmier; J. HeideL; F. Desselthor; G. Azel; G. Keffel; J. Seitz/Seltz; H. Benninghausen; W. Todd; J. Klocking; J. Riemer; C. Schlichting; J. Boldt; H. Schumacher; Dan Kuntz; John Bull; E. Logeman; J. Wever; P. Schnoll; J. Agenten; H. Dreps; J. Breher; J. Oeming; and C. Wick.

Fourth Tier of Sections
C. S. Murnburger; M. Gilsdorf; F. Schmidt; F. Steffen; C. Edler; C. Haft; A. Strassberg; J. Burkhardt; J. Kuhn; H. and O. Kallenberg; A. Samre?; M. McKinnon; H. Gervells; W. Thiele; William Goodwin; F. Markwardt; J. Bohnsack; John Weick; J. Keller; George Koehler; C. Engelhard; E. Selley; F. Jahn; G. Schiebe/Schlebe; F. Blank; C. Thomas; August Ebenreiter; J. Hecker; O. D. Gerrells; F. Munsterman; L. Winkler; J. Culver; J. Schonrock; F. and William Fenner; Carl Muller; H. Habighorst; and M. Messner.

Fifth Tier of Sections
H. Conover; Charles Joslin; M. Matthewson; J. N. Bruckner; A. Favour; C. Bruckner; C. Heiden; A. Miller; T. Mandle; H. Smith; J. Bunkman; C. Kalmerton; J. Bavolt; J. Hayman; J. Comming; Christ. Kroeg; J. Severins; S. Goodell; J. Dankford; N. D. Brown; A. B. Dixon; William Heiner/Helner?; L. Alvers; P. Mohr; B. Thorpe; I. Michi; C. M. Limprecht; H. Tidman; A. Peacock; G. Mather; J. L. Trowbridge; F. L. Sargent; J. Albright; J. Schroder; J. Robbins; J.S. Hubbard; Mr. Manson; and Mr. White.

Sixth Tier of Sections
John Dietsch; H. Schonemann; C. Metzner; George Tupper; P. Bohn; H. Dayton; J. Holden; William Gassett; B. H. Wisselink; C. George; Ira N. Strong; H. Ashcroft; George Berry; J. Gail; W. Y. Davis; C. Kroener; N. Carpenter; M. Jonas; C. Alten; P. Schreff; S. BrownE; G. W. Poland; August Fiebig; J. Gray; James Richardson; P. Sloan; H. J. and Z. Holden; R. B. White; A. David; J. H. Denison; B. F. Sanford; F. C. Leavens; and D. Giddings.

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