Mishicot is a village in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,442 at the 2010 census. The village is adjacent to the Town of Mishicot. Since 1984, Mishicot has had a sister village relationship with Le Châble, Switzerland
This area of Wisconsin was originally occupied by the Menominee, Potawatomi and Ho-Chunk peoples. By the end of French rule over the area in 1763, the Potawatomi had begun a move to the Detroit area, leaving the large communities in Wisconsin. Later, some Potawatomi moved back from Michigan to northern Wisconsin. Some but not all Potawatomi later left northern Wisconsin for northern Indiana and central Illinois.[7]
Potawatomi Chief Simon Onanguisse Kahquados, 1919
In 1836, the Menominee ceded their claim to the area including what is now Mishicot to the United States after years of negotiations with the Ho-Chunk and the U.S. government over how to accommodate the incoming populations of Oneida, Stockbridge-Munsee, and Brothertown peoples who had been removed from New York.[8] As a result of this treaty (Treaty of the Cedars), settlers could purchase land, but many fishermen still chose to live as squatters. At the same time, the more decentralized Potawatomi were divested of their land without compensation. Many emigrated to Canada because of invitations from other Native Americans already in Canada, favorable treaty arrangements, and a desire to avoid the harsh terms of the 1833 Treaty of Chicago. Although not all Potawatomi participated in the Treaty of Chicago, it was federal policy that any who did not relocate westward as the treaty stipulated would not be compensated for their land.[9]
Mishicott resident Potawatomi Chief Simon Kahquados traveled to Washington, D.C. multiple times in an attempt to get the land back. In 1906, Congress passed a law to establish a census of all Potawatomi formerly living in Wisconsin and Michigan as a first step toward compensation. The 1907 “Wooster” roll, named after the clerk who compiled it, documented 457 Potawatomi living in Wisconsin and Michigan and 1423 in Ontario. Instead of returning the land, a meager monthly payment was issued.[9] Although Kahquados was unsuccessful, he increased public awareness of Potawatomi history. In 1931, 15,000 people attended his burial in Peninsula State Park.[10]
The original spelling of the village’s was Mishicott, with two T’s at the end. It is believed the second T was officially dropped around 1950, when the village was legally incorporated with the State of Wisconsin.[11] In the Menominee language, the town is known as Mēqsekatāēw, meaning “Hairy Leg”, likely the Menominee translation of Chief Meshigaud’s name.[12]
The early settlers of the village and the surrounding rural farmlands came from a number of countries, but most prominently from Germany, Bohemia, Switzerland and Canada. In 1852, the name of the township and unincorporated village was changed to Saxonburg, but the name was reverted about 18 months later.[11]
By the beginning of the 20th century, the village would have six hotels, three general stores, a movie theater, a grist mill, a brewery, and three churches. The first public school was organized in 1849, and the first public school building was constructed the same year.[11]
Mishicot is located at 44°14′6″N 87°38′29″W (44.235022, -87.641409).[13]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 2.57 square miles (6.66 km2), of which, 2.52 square miles (6.53 km2) of it is land and 0.05 square miles (0.13 km2) is water.[14] The East Twin River passes through the village.