HISTORY OF THE CITY OF BERLIN, WISCONSIN

Berlin's roots go deep -- back to 1634 when the French explorer, Jean Nicolet, became the first white man to visit the large Mascoutin Indian village near Berlin. French voyageurs made the Fox River a vital trade route and , in 1672, Louis Joliet and Father Marquette camped here on their "Voyage of Discovery" down the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico.

In 1846, nearly 200 years later, the present bridge-crossing site became Strong's Landing. In 1848, the year the post office opened, the City of Berlin was founded. For decades, the city's progress and growth was largely dependent on the Fox River. Daily steamboat trips to Oshkosh and other ports began in 1854 and continued until 1890.

Railroad service from Milwaukee began in 1857. An important area industry was the quarrying and shipment of street paving blocks.

Cranberries grown on nearby marshlands made Berlin a major packing center with thousands of barrels shipped annually.

With a population of only 250 in 1850, the city grew to almost 2,800 by the panic of 1857, and after a brief decline continued to grow to 5,366 in 1990. Berlin's growth resulted from an influx of various ethnic groups: Germans, Irish, Poles, and Welsh joined the original New England settlers. Together they created a town with varied religious and educational institutions and distinctive neighborhood patterns.

Paddle boats no longer ply the Fox River between Oshkosh and Berlin, cigar making is no longer an important local business, and horses no longer trot around the track at the old Berlin fairgrounds. Those early days may be gone, but their legacy has left an indelible mark on our community.

Today's Victorian homes, built in the nineteenth century,, are part of that heritage. So is the fur and leather industry. So, too, are the many businesses, industries and community institutions that continue to operate today.

from Home Town Ties: Berlin, Wisconsin 1848 to 1998