The land that became the Waubeka was originally inhabited by Native Americans, including the Potawatomi tribe, who surrendered the land to the United States government in the 1833 Treaty of Chicago. While many people moved west of the Mississippi River to Kansas, a few chose to remain, and were referred to as "strolling Potawatomi" in contemporary documents because many of them were migrants who subsisted by squatting on their former lands, now owned by White settlers. One such group was led by Chief Waubeka, who maintained a winter camp on the south bank of the Milwaukee River in present-day Waubeka as late as 1845. The chief's wigwam was located near the present site of the Gerald Joose house. In the Potawatomi language, "Waubeka" means "metal." Eventually the Potawatomi gathered in northern Wisconsin, where they formed the Forest County Potawatomi Community.
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). How TownRatings grades history →
From Wikimedia Commons (1), Wikipedia and U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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