Wisconsin Forest Photo Courtesy Of Wisconsin DNR

In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson doubled the size of the United States with the Louisiana Purchase from Napoleon. That same year, Louis and Clark made their historic journey across the wilderness. These two events marked the official opening of land that had previously been called the "Northwest Territory".

In 1818, Solomon Juneau arrived in the area, and is credited with being the first permanent resident and landowner in Milwaukee.

Morris Cutler and His Family Standing Before Their New Home Photo Circa 1834

Then, on May 7, 1834 Morris Cutler staked a plot of land near an American Indian encampment on the Fox River. He built a home and began to form a new community. Cutler is credited as being the first land owner in what is now Waukesha County.

The settlement that began in 1834 came to be known as Prairieville, and two years later, in 1836, Wisconsin was made it's own territory. The subsequent explosion of land investors and settlers brought crowds of people to the Wisconsin Territory, and every community experienced sudden population growth. Among the new residents to the Territory that year was Increase Lapham, who's topographical and botanical observations in the area have earned him a place of honor in the history books.

Ten years later, following rapid growth, the Territorial Legislature voted to split Milwaukee County (which had extended all the way from Madison to Milwaukee) into smaller parts. And so, Waukesha County was born.

Finally, another two years later, in 1848, Wisconsin achieved statehood, and the days of fur trappers, Native Americans, and uncharted wilderness were at an end.

The Village Of Prairieville