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Explore Fond du Lac Wisconsin
Fond du Lac is located in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin. The city has a population of 43,021 (2010 census). The city is located at the southern tip of Lake Winnebago, which at 137,700 acres it is the largest lake entirely within the state, covering an area of about 30 miles by 10 miles, with 88 miles of shoreline, an average depth of 15.5 feet, and a maximum depth of 21 feet.
History
"Fond du Lac" is French for the "bottom" or the "farthest point" of the lake, so named because of its location at the bottom (south end) of Lake Winnebago.
Native American tribes, primarily the Winnebagos but also the Potawatomi, Kickapoo, and Mascoutin lived or gathered in the area long before European explorers arrived. Although the identity of the first white man to explore the southern end of Lake Winnebago is uncertain, it was probably Claude-Jean Allouez, followed by French fur trappers.James Doty, a federal judge for the western part of the Michigan Territory, thought the land at the foot of Lake Winnebago might be a good location for a city, so he and his partners bought land in the area. In 1836, during the Wisconsin Territorial Legislature, John Arndt proposed making Fond du Lac the new capital.The motion failed, and Doty convinced the legislature to choose Madison instead. Colwert, Fanna Pier and Alex Tomasik were the first white residents of the area. In 1835, the construction of the Military Ridge Road began. It passed through Fond du Lac, connecting the forts in Wisconsin and Fort Dearborn in Illinois.The first school in Fond du Lac was built in 1843. The first railroad came to the community in 1852. About 1856, the first English newspaper in Fond du Lac, the Fond du Lac Commonwealth, was founded. Logging and milling were primary industries in the late 1880s, with access to the lake as the engine of the industry.
Education
Fond du Lac is served by the Fond du Lac School District. Its schools include:
Chegwin Elementary School (grades K–5)
Evans Elementary School (grades K–5)
Lakeshore Elementary School (grades K–5)
Parkside Elementary School (grades K–5)
Pier Elementary School (grades K–5)
Riverside Elementary School (grades K–5)
Roberts Elementary School (grades K–5)
Rosenow Elementary School (grades K–5)
Waters Elementary School (grades K–5)
STEM Academy (grades 3-5)
STEM Institute (grades 6-10)
Sabish Middle School (grades 6–8)
Theisen Middle School (grades 6–8)
Woodworth Middle School (grades 6–8)
Fond du Lac High School (grades 9–12)
Private secondary schools in Fond du Lac include: Winnebago Lutheran Academy, a Lutheran (WELS) high school; St. Mary Springs High School, a Catholic high school; Fond du Lac Christian School, an interdenominational K-12 school; and Trinity Baptist School, a Baptist K-12 school.
St. Mary's Springs Academy also operates an elementary school and middle school, which were formerly named Fond du Lac Area Catholic Education System (FACES). Fond du Lac also has four Lutheran primary schools.
Fond du Lac is the home of three colleges: Marian University, a private Catholic four-year university; the University of Wisconsin-Fond du Lac, a two-year campus in the University of Wisconsin Colleges; and Moraine Park Technical College, a two-year technical college in the Wisconsin Technical College System.
