Waupun, WI

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This city, one of the most important in Dodge County, lies partly in Fond du Lac County. In name it probably has no counterpart in the United States. The meaning of the word is “the early light of day” and is of Indian origin.

Waupun has the most outdoor public sculptures per capita of any city in North America. This includes the world famous “End of the Trail” statue, The Dawn of Day, the Who Sows Believes in God, the Pioneers, and The Recording Angel among others. These statues are in Waupun because of the donation of Clarence Addison Shaler. Mr. Shaler is buried by his wife in Waupun’s Forest Mound Cemetery.

Waupun comes from the Ojibwe word “Waubun” which means “dawn of day.” In fact Waupun was originally supposed to be named “Waubun” but the State of Wisconsin made a spelling error, and Waupun never bothered to change it.

Waupun was founded in 1839 by Seymour Wilcox, the first settler along the Rock River in what was then deciduous forested land. The territorial Census in 1847 showed Waupun Township to have a population of 956. In 1851, the city was chosen for the State Penitentiary, owing to the abundance of limestone for construction. The main building, constructed in 1854, is still in use. The population in 1940 was 6,725.