Oconomowoc, Wisconsin
city in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States
Oconomowoc ( ə-KON-ə-mə-wok) is a city in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 18,203 at the 2020 census. The city is next to the Village of Lac La Belle and near the village of Oconomowoc Lake.
History
Before 1700, this region was inhabited by Potawatomi peoples descended from Woodland Indians known as "mound builders". There are reports that the Sauk Indian chief Black Hawk had a campsite on Oconomowoc Lake.
The first white person recorded in the area was Amable (sometimes spelled "Aumable") Vieau, brother-in-law of Solomon Juneau, one of the founders of Milwaukee. Vieau established a trading post in 1827. White settlers began to follow in 1830.
In April 1837, New York native Charles Sheldon staked a 160-acre claim on the eastern shore of what is now Fowler Lake, registering it with the Land Bank of Milwaukee on April 21, 1837. A few days later, H.W. Blanchard acquired a claim next to Sheldon's on the other side of the lake.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Oconomowoc, Wisconsin” as city in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as city in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 25, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q51147. The first chronological checks are 2020, 1700, 1827 and 1830.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Oconomowoc, Wisconsin”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Oconomowoc, Wisconsin primary sources, Oconomowoc, Wisconsin archive and Oconomowoc research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Oconomowoc, Wisconsin”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Oconomowoc, Wisconsin” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.