Fox Cities in Outagamie Co., WI- Did You Know?

I wanted to share a little trivia with you about the Fox Cities in Outagamie Co., WI. Did you know that the Fox Cities are a combination of ten communities along the Fox River in what is known as the Fox Valley? They are Appleton, Neenah, Menasha, Kaukauna, Kimberly, Combined Locks, Grand Chute, Little Chute, Freedom and Vandenroek.

Wisconsin became a state in 1848 and Outagamie County was created in 1851 (it was originally a part of Brown County). The first inhabitants in the Fox Valley were Native Americans of the Winnebago, Menomonee and Outagamie tribes. Europeans settled along the Fox River in the early 1600's; Jean Nicollet, a French explorer was the first to the Outagamie area. The name, Fox Cities, came from the Outagamie Indians because the French nicknamed them "les renards", meaning foxes.

Since those early days along the Fox River many things have changed but the Fox Cities still remain a hub of activity and community. If you ever wondered how the Fox Cities got it's name... now you know.