Village of Mishicot, Historical Overview

Feed Mill in Mishicot, undated. MCHS 88.225.1

The village of Mishicot, located 12 miles northwest of Manitowoc, started out as a small settlement near the East Twin River. A walk through town reveals a pleasant mixture of old and new as historic buildings have been renewed to fit the needs of today’s ever-growing society.

Andrew Vieau had a strong personal connection to the Natives that lived in the area. He purchased 80 acres of land for Chief Mishicott and his people of the Potawatomi tribe near the river. In 1844 a lumberman by the name of Daniel Smith established a small lumber mill, where there was good waterpower. From what is recorded, Smith was friendly with the Natives and offered his home to them in several instances. Because of this, he named Vieau’s village after the chief. Mishicot officially became a village in 1847.

This small sawmill was operated by Ira P. Smith for some time, then two years later he built another one. Alfred Smith and Ira Clarke operated the sawmill and the grist mill in the village. The sawmill was located near the center of the village, while the grist mill was located at a dam one mile west of Mishicot near Highway 147.

At the turn of the century, Mishicot was to be considered even more prosperous than the city of Manitowoc. They had four hotels, three general stores, a furniture store, a hardware store, blacksmith shops, wagonmakers, saw and grist mills, a brewery, a cheese factory, and even a cigar factory. The village was booming.

Telephone service began in Mishicot as a single phone connection to Manitowoc installed in a bar in about 1903. The electronic service was provided for 55 residences all powered by DC power that was generated by the village’s dam. The electricity began on January 12, 1912.

The Holst General Store was a village landmark for nearly a century. What started in 1889, steadily grew to a prosperous store for the community. It was sold to George Krause in December of 1963 which was operated for another several years until the Krause shopping center was constructed on main street. Since then, the original store has since been razed.

Mishicot’s Opera House was built in 1894 by Charlie Levenhagen. The hall had many uses, it had been the largest known in the county of Manitowoc because of the 4500 square foot floor space. Stage performances were a regular event for both home talent companies and traveling companies. The hall was even used as a gymnasium for the Old School. It was later sold and no longer operates as an opera house. Now it serves as a place of residence and for small businesses.

More and more people found the village of Mishicot to be a good place in which to live. Many people arrived to take up homesteads on rich farmland. The population of the village raised to 1534 in the 1910 Census. In a little over half a century, a small area became a large part of Manitowoc County. Mishicot currently has about 1,390 residents as of 2020.

The village of Mishicot is still growing, and the influence of some of the first settlements in the village take the credit for the continuous innovations in the village.