Before the first white settlement of Waupaca in 1849, the Menominee and its ancestors called much of Waupaca County home.
That included the Chain O’Lakes area.
At 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 8, Mike Hoffman will tell this story when he presents “The Menominee in Waupaca.”
The program will take place in the lower level of the Holly Center.
Hoffmann, a descendant of the Menominee and Ottawa, serves as the cultural consultant and adviser to the Menominee Clans Story housed at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
By 10,000 BCE, the first people — ancestors of the Menominee — reached Wisconsin, with some settling along the Chain O’Lakes.
The Menominee occupied about 10 million acres, including much of Waupaca County.
The Menominee in the Waupaca area moved between large villages on Taylor and Otter lakes and camps along the falls on the Waupaca River.
By the 1830s, the largely uncharted lands in Wisconsin attracted the interest of white settlers.
In a series of seven treaties, the Menominee ceded their lands to the United States.
The final treaty, in 1848, relinquished the last of the Menominee’s land, which included Waupaca.
Refreshments will be served at the program.
People may receive more information by calling 715-256-9980 or visiting www.waupacahistoricalsociety.org.