The Mukwa post office opened in 1850, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, Northport (1859) and Ostrander (1882), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
2020 census: 2,830176 years
How historic is Mukwa?
C
More historic than 27% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Mukwa post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade
What drives Mukwa’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Mukwa is more historic than 27% of U.S. towns, #306 of 362 in Wisconsin. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Mukwa’s overall grade.
Wisconsin towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Wisconsin town has 3.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Mukwa’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (28% of Wisconsin towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to C. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.8 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Mukwa’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Mukwa had its own post office from 1850 to 1860. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Mukwa
1850–1860
Northport
1859–1911
Ostrander
1882–1898
18501940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
NorthportOstranderShaw Landing
Gone or out of use
Elm SchoolschoolMcFaul AirportairportOak Grove Schoolschool
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Mukwa
Old OstranderOstrander - Northport
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The story so far
Mukwa, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Mukwa yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Mukwa is a town in Waupaca County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,830 at the 2020 census. The unincorporated communities of Northport, Ostrander, and Shaw Landing are located in the town.
Its first post office opened in 1850. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 2,930 to 2,830 (-3%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Mukwa in 1890
Passages that mention Mukwa, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Waupaca county, Wisconsin1890 · page 53Read the page →
Read the text
At a meeting of the County Board, held at the house of H. Rolph, in the Village of Mukwa, March 5, 1852, at which were present Tyler Caldwell, Chairman, and David Scott and Peter Meiklejohn. Supervisors, six towns were set off as follows: Township 21, in Ranges 11 and 12, to constitute a town by the name of Lind, (that being the first
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Waupaca county, Wisconsin1890 · page 49Read the page →
Read the text
The County and Town of Waupaca was organized by legislative act, approved February 17, 1851, the county seat being temporarily established at Mukwa. The first election was held at Mukwa, April 1, of that year. The following is a list of the officers chosen at that election : Chairman, David Scott; Supervisors, Tyler Caldwell and Peter Meiklejohn; Town Clerk, C. L. Gu-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Mukwa, 1850 to 1969
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
The Mukwa post office opened in 1850, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Mukwa rank for history?
Mukwa is more historic than 27% of U.S. towns, #306 of 362 in Wisconsin. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in Mukwa?
9% of Mukwa’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.8 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1983.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
