Map of Waupaca County, Wisconsin

Waupaca County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 51,812. The county seat is Waupaca. The county was created in 1851 and organized in 1853. It is named after the Waupaca River, a Menominee language name meaning ‘white sand bottom’, ‘pale water’, or ‘tomorrow river’.

Waupaca County overview:
Name:	Waupaca County
FIPS code:	55-135
State:	Wisconsin
Founded:	1853
Named for:	Chief Waupaca
Seat:	Waupaca
Largest city:	New London
Total Area:	765 sq mi (1,980 km²)
Land Area:	748 sq mi (1,940 km²)
Total Population:	51,812
Population Density:	69.3/sq mi (26.8/km²)

Waupaca County location map. Where is Waupaca County?

Waupaca County location on the U.S. Map. Where is Waupaca County. — Location of Waupaca County in the the United States.

Waupaca County location on the Wisconsin map. Where is Waupaca County. — Location of Waupaca County in Wisconsin.

History

Ancient indigenous peoples constructed earthworks that expressed their religious and political concepts. An early European explorer counted 72 such earthen mounds in what is now Waupaca County, many of them in the form of effigy mounds, shaped like “humans, turtles, catfish and others.” There were 52 mounds constructed around what is now called Taylor Lake. Most mounds were lost to agricultural development. One mound, shaped like a catfish, is still visible in a private yard along County Hwy. QQ, just east of Taylor Lake. The site was marked by a local women’s club with a commemorative plaque installed on a large stone.

Under pressure from European-American development, the Menominee people ceded their title to the United States for these lands by treaty in 1852. Following that, the flow of new migrant settlers greatly increased from the East, with people moving from New England, New York, and Ohio. They developed the land primarily for agricultural use in the early decades, also quickly establishing sawmills on the rivers.

In the 1870s railroads were constructed in the county: the Wisconsin Central in 1872 and the Green Bay and Minnesota Railroad (later known as Green Bay, Minnesota & St. Paul) in 1873. These improved the county’s connections to markets for its lumber and other products. For a period, entrepreneurs and merchants gained high profits from the lumber industry, establishing many fine homes in the larger cities.

Waupaca County Road Map

Waupaca CountyStreet Map. — Street map of Waupaca County, Wisconsin. Source: OpenStreetMap (OSM)

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 765 square miles (1,980 km), of which 748 square miles (1,940 km) is land and 17 square miles (44 km) (2.3%) is water. The water includes 22 lakes that form the Waupaca Chain O’ Lakes. These lakes are majority spring fed and connected by the Crystal River outlet. Waupaca County is also home to Partridge Lake on the Wolf River and the Waupaca River.