Sacramento, Wisconsin Explained

Sacramento
Settlement Type:Village
Pushpin Map:Wisconsin
Coordinates:43.9849°N -88.9108°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Wisconsin
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Waushara (until 1854)
Green Lake (after 1854)
Subdivision Type3:Town
Subdivision Name3:Berlin Township
Established Date:1849
Founder:Mr. Hatch
Unit Pref:Metric
Population As Of:1860
Population Total:300
Population Density Km2:auto
Timezone1:CST
Utc Offset1:-6:00
Timezone1 Dst:CDT
Utc Offset1 Dst:-5:00

Sacramento, Wisconsin is a former village on the Fox River in Berlin Township[1] of Green Lake County, Wisconsin. First platted in 1849 by a Mr. Hatch, who had returned from the California gold rush with memories of Sacramento, California,[2] it was originally part of Waushara County, and was in fact the original county seat of that county upon its establishment. The county seat was moved to Wautoma in September 1854 after a referendum; and the portion of Waushara County south of the Fox which included Sacramento was ceded to Green Lake County sometime after the latter's 1858 creation. In 1860, it had a population of about 300.[3]

The village was abandoned soon after this period; a 1936 article from a local paper describes the village as having died out entirely, with the remaining buildings having been moved to an island in a cranberry bog to house workers, leaving nothing behind but an abandoned cemetery; and most historical records from that period had been destroyed in a fire at the Waushara County courthouse.[4]

Notes and References

  1. https://content.wisconsinhistory.org/digital/collection/maps/id/13911/ L. D. Livermore, L. D.; M. L. Bogert, Assistant. Map of Green Lake County, Wisconsin Cincinnati: Bogert, Haight & Livermore, 1860
  2. Gard, Robert E. The Romance of Wisconsin Place Names (2nd edition) Madison: Wisconsin Historical Society, 2015; p. 286
  3. Portrait and Biographical Album of Green Lake, Marquette and Waushara Counties, Wisconsin... Chicago: Acme Publishing Company, 1890; p. 269
  4. News: Early Waushara County History (Plainfield Sun) . . October 3, 1936 . 4 . . July 21, 2021.