New London, Wisconsin

History

For thousands of years, this area was occupied by successive indigenous cultures. Some were known as moundbuilders, constructing a reported 72 earthworks near what is now Taylor Lake in the county, including many effigy mounds. Their descendants included the Menominee, who lived here for thousands of years. In the Menominee language this place is known as Sakēmāēwataenoh, meaning "mosquito place", likely due to its riverside location. The Menominee sold this land to the United States in the 1836 Treaty of the Cedars, which saw over four million acres of land in Wisconsin sold after years of negotiation about how to accommodate the Oneida, Stockbridge-Munsee, and Brothertown peoples who were being removed from New York to Wisconsin.

Following the treaty which made the land available for purchase, New London was established by European-American settlers in 1852 and was named after New London, Connecticut by Reeder Smith, a founder whose father was from there. Reeder Smith built the plank road between Appleton and Stevens Point. New London became a lumber center and the terminus of steamboats plying the Wolf River from Oshkosh.

The American Water Spaniel was developed as a registered breed by F. J. Pfeifer of New London. It was named the state dog in 1986.

From the History section of New London, Wisconsin on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.