In 1849, the Native American lands of central Wisconsin were opened, by way of treaty, for land claims by settlers. The area of eastcentral Wisconsin was a favorite to men from Vermont. Vermont men had settled the wild country from Poy Sippi to Waupaca--a stretch of about 15 miles. That year, the county's earliest pioneers set out from Sheboygan to stake a claim for their homesteads. Told of a place called "the Falls," now known as Waupaca, they mapped out three 80-acre plots after their arrival. As more settlers came to the area, Waupaca was formed into a village and incorporated in 1857. The accumulation of vintage photographs that appear in Waupaca depict the town's old way of life in a vivid manner.