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History · Waukau

Waukau’s post office opened in 1848, and 62% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1918 on and old-book passages.

1848first post office
0on the National Register
62%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answers

How Waukau began

When was Waukau founded?

1848

The Waukau post office opened in 1848, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 302178 years
Founding year: the first Waukau post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Waukau’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Waukau are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Waukau’s homes were built before 1938.On the map since 19183 editions of the USGS map, 1918 to 1980. Watch Waukau change.Deep rootsA post office since 1848: 178 years of Waukau.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Waukau’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Waukau’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story so far

Waukau, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Waukau yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Waukau is an unincorporated census-designated place in the town of Rushford, in Winnebago County, Wisconsin, United States. The community is located on Wisconsin Highway 116 at its southern terminus at Wisconsin Highway 91. As of the 2020 census, Waukau had a population of 302.

Its first post office opened in 1848. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 255 to 302 (+18%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

On the map

Waukau on the map, 1918 to 1980

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Waukau. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Waukau on the 1918 USGS mapWaukau on the 1956 USGS mapWaukau on the 1980 USGS map1918Ripon sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Waukau.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Waukau in 1880

Passages that mention Waukau, cut from the printed page as they were published.

This place is most eligibly situated, being less than a mile from the Village of Waukau, a railroad station on the Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad. The surrounding country is a delightful one, and the Village of Waukau, with its schools, churches and stores, adds largely to the ordinary social advant…
History of Winnebago County, Wisconsin, and early history of the Northwest1880 · page 247Read the page →
Read the text

This place is most eligibly situated, being less than a mile from the Village of Waukau, a railroad station on the Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad. The surrounding country is a delightful one, and the Village of Waukau, with its schools, churches and stores, adds largely to the ordinary social advantages of country life.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Passage from History of Winnebago County, Wisconsin, and early history of the Northwest that mentions Waukau
History of Winnebago County, Wisconsin, and early history of the Northwest1880 · page 248Read the page →

Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

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Famous people

Famous people close to Waukau

Nobody well known was born in Waukau itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Carrie Chapman CattAmerican social reformer, suffragist · b. 1859
Lewis HineAmerican sociologist and photographer · b. 1874
Tyrese HaliburtonAmerican basketball player · b. 2000
HornswoggleAmerican professional wrestler · b. 1986
Elda Emma AndersonAmerican physicist · b. 1899
Harry Gordon SelfridgeAmerican born English businessman · b. 1858

Questions about Waukau’s history

What year was Waukau founded?

The Waukau post office opened in 1848, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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Sources

Where this page comes from

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 U.S. Geological Survey historical maps 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.