Name/Title
Booklet, This is Waupun, 1954 League of Women Voters SurveyDescription
"This is Waupun," a booklet by the League of Women Voters in 1954.
This is Waupun
A community survey made by the League of Women Voters of Waupun, Wisconsin 1954
Most of us feel bewildered at times with the rapid turn of events and the complexity of governmental problems. We are hard put to it to know the right answers. Sometimes we are even inclined to throw up our hands and say, "It's beyond me! We might as well let Congress and the President figure it all out. I can't make up my mind."
But our democratic form of government cannot function properly unless we, as its citizens, can make up our minds - unless we can and do inform ourselves, about our government, how it functions, what responsibilities to it we have as individuals, what we can expect of it. A representative government depends on active, alert citizens.
The place to begin is our own home town. By understanding and participating in our local government, we are well on the way to comprehending the more complex problems of state and nation.
Extended Description: "This is Waupun," a booklet by the League of Women Voters in 1954.
This is Waupun
A community survey made by the League of Women Voters of Waupun, Wisconsin 1954
Most of us feel bewildered at times with the rapid turn of events and the complexity of governmental problems. We are hard put to it to know the right answers. Sometimes we are even inclined to throw up our hands and say, "It's beyond me! We might as well let Congress and the President figure it all out. I can't make up my mind."
But our democratic form of government cannot function properly unless we, as its citizens, can make up our minds - unless we can and do inform ourselves, about our government, how it functions, what responsibilities to it we have as individuals, what we can expect of it. A representative government depends on active, alert citizens.
The place to begin is our own home town. By understanding and participating in our local government, we are well on the way to comprehending the more complex problems of state and nation.
To help us in our understanding of Waupun and its government, the League of Women Voters has prepared this pamphlet. We wish to acknowledge our indebtedness to the many city officials who have supplied us with facts and figures. It is our hope and theirs that this survey will be helpful to us all.
This is Waupun
A community survey made by the League of Women Voters of Waupun, Wisconsin 1954
Table of Contents
Foreword Inside cover page
Part One Page
History and Characteristics,,1
Industrial and Economic Life,,2
Community Life,,5
Recreation,,6
Part Two,,
Waupun's Government
Personnel,,8
Finances,,9
Services Your Taxes Pay For,,10
Streets, Transportation, Utilities,,10
Protection - Fire, Police,10,,11
Public Health,,11
Public Welfare,,12
Part Three,,
Education,,13
Election Information ,,16
PART I
History and Characteristics of Waupun
In 1839, the first log house was built on the bank of the Rock river near the spot where it was crossed by the military road from Green Bay to Madison. This was the nucleus that grew into the city of Waupun. The river at that time was wide and swift, supplying power for a number of feed and saw mills, and a means of floating logs to markets. With the felling of the forests, the lower water tables were depleted, and now the river is an insignificant item of the local landscape.
The "westward expansion," before the Civil War, brought New Englanders to this vicinity seeking new homes and cheap land. They gave the character of their culture to the entire area, with churches and schools springing up as soon as homes were established. With the New England settlers came a good number of home seekers from the Netherlands, Germany, England, Scotland, Ireland, and Norway. The Dutch people who settled here were Calvinistic, and the city and several rural communities nearby are richly flavored with the culture of these thrifty, industrious, religious people. Workers who have come to Waupun in more recent years with the establishment of the shoe factory were largely of Polish ancestry.
The location of the state prison here in 1851 is a historical factor that contributed to the pattern of the town's growth. As the prison grew, more and more help was employed, paid by the state - not munificently but steadily. In 1909, the Central State Hospital for the insane was located here, bringing another large group of state employees to Waupun. The steady employment of these people, through good and bad times, has made for a more stable economy than some neighboring towns experienced in times of depression.
Waupun received its charter as a city in 1878, with land from both Dodge and Fond du Lac counties being included. The county line is also Waupun's Main street, or as it was originally called, Washington street. In early years, settlements grew up at two separate points along the river, called Upper Town and Lower Town. Rivalry was strong. Locating the prison and the railroad depot in Lower Town made that the main business section.
As a result of both industrial development and increases in state personnel, the growth of the city in population has been slow and steady. The figure 6,725, the total population for Waupun as listed in the 1950 federal census, includes inmates of the two institutions. The prison population is a varying figure. The count for September, 1953, was 1,297, with 323 of these housed in camps or on farms belonging to the state. The count in September, 1953, for the Central State Hospital was 329. Both institutions are constantly adding to their facilities.
When the city population passed the 5,000 mark, as shown by the
2 This Is Waupun
1950 federal census, the state law requiring voters in cities of that size to register made it necessary for Waupun to carry on a blanket registration of all voters. This was accomplished in the summer of 1952, the task being supervised by the city clerk, who was assisted by members of the League of Women Voters of Waupun.
Note: There is a table showing the population by wards.
Since the boundary lines which divide the city into its present six wards have not been moved for many years, it is obvious that the expansion of the city has caused the population of the various wards to become very unequal. Because each ward elects only one alderman to the city council, there is far from equal representation in city government. There has been interest shown, both by the council itself and by other citizens, in redistricting of the city wards, but up to the present time (March 1954) no positive action has been taken. The Waupun League of Women Voters, at its annual meeting in April, 1953, voted to support any equitable plan for redistricting of our city wards.
Waupun's Industrial and Economic Life
Since the coming of the first settler to Waupun in the autumn of 1838, the "beautiful and fertile Rock River Valley" has become a most prosperous and progressive farming area. Beginning with the days when wheat was the leading agricultural commodity, the farm products of one kind and another have poured steadily into the town, and today the productive, well-kept farms surrounding Waupun have developed the city into an important farm trading center, where the business establishments measure their prosperity by the prosperity of the farming community. At least 50% of the retail business is estimated to come from the rural area. County agents report that there is no impoverished soil in the vicinity and that only a small percentage of the land is not being used to the best advantage.
A business directory would list 10 industries, 12 dealers in agricul-
This Is Waupun 3
tural supplies, 5 coal dealers, 3 lumber companies, 48 retail stores, 13 restaurants or lunch rooms, 8 electric shops, 4 beauty shops, 6 barber shops, 13 various repair shops, 13 taverns, 12 garages, 18 service stations, and from 60 to 70 other miscellaneous businesses.
Many of Waupun's industrial products go to other parts of the United States and to distant parts of the world, and many of these products are better known in other parts of our country than they are in the local area. The Shaler Company, The National Rivet Company, The Hand-crafters, Canned Foods, The Carnation Company, Breyer Brothers, Whiting and Company, are examples of industries which have a wide market for their products. Other Waupun industries include: one foundry, two shoe factories, and several small plants. A large part of the industrial labor is unionized either in the A. F. of L. or in a company union. The union at the state institutions is affiliated with the Wisconsin State Employees Association. There has been no noticeable union activity in local government affairs.
The city has a zoning ordinance, limiting areas for residential, commercial and light manufacturing, heavy industry, and local business purposes.
Better transportation facilities may be had in Waupun than in most cities of similar size. Both north-south and east-west bus service is good, and there is freight and passenger train service. On a limited scale there is even some air travel for freight and passengers out of Waupun.
THE NATIONAL BANK and THE STATE BANK serve Waupun - its businesses, its industries, and its rural areas.
THE WAUPUN LEADER-NEWS, one of the outstanding weekly newspapers in the state, has a wide circulation in the community. An advertising circular for shoppers, called THE REMINDER, is delivered free of charge to all residents of Waupun and to the residents of the surrounding rural areas. Local news may be heard daily over the Beaver Dam radio station, WBEV.
WAUPUN MEMORIAL HOSPITAL, operated by the School Sisters of St. Francis, is a fully accredited, well-equipped, modern hospital with a capacity of 80 beds and 14 cribs which serves an area with a radius of approximately 12 miles around Waupun. It is the official center for the treatment of acute polio cases for Dodge county. For this work there is new and up-to-date physio-therapy equipment, including a Hubbard bath. On the staff is a registered physical therapist. The facilities of the hospital are available to all segments of the population. Special financial arrangements can be made through the Department of Public Welfare for those who cannot afford regular rates.
THE CHRISTIAN HOME FOR THE AGED, a project of the members of the Reformed and Christian Reformed churches of Waupun and several nearby towns, was recently built to accommodate 20 persons of age 65 or older who meet the requirements of the association which operates the home.
4 This Is Waupun
MIGRANT WORKERS The crops grown for the canning and produce companies and sugar refineries require a good amount of seasonal labor. Texans, British West Indians, and (during the war) some Mexican nationals, were hired to work in the fields. Since the war, fewer migrants have been employed, but authorities generally agree that there will be a continuing need for some labor of this type. These people are the one distinctly underprivileged social group in this area; and this problem is, of course, broader than the local community.
The Texans, unlike the British West Indians, are citizens of the United States and migrate in family groups. They speak Spanish, which handicaps them economically and socially in an English speaking community. Arriving in April or May and staying until August, September and even October, their children do not fit into the existing school system. Protective legislation which safeguards other children and workers is not applicable to these agricultural workers.
While housing is a problem here as everywhere, these Texas-Mexican migrants are deplorably housed, by our standards. In fact, none of the housing in the industrial camps provided for sugar beet workers in the Waupun area meets the minimum requirements of the State Board of Health for certified camps. This is in marked contrast to the camp provided by the local canning company for its British West Indian workers, which was the first industrial camp in the state to receive certification by the State Board of Health.
The League's committee which studied the social conditions of this community in 1949 made friendly contacts with several large groups of the Texas migrants and found that they do not mind their living conditions so much as they do the fact that their children have so little schooling. When the League's study brought more attention to the condition of these people, groups of church women co-operated to bring the younger children in to take part in the recreation program in the city's parks. The children were well received. The children's librarian of the public library also held story hours for these groups.
Largely as an outgrowth of this study of social conditions was the appointment by the mayor in 1950 of a Council on Human Relations (not a statutory group) which has undertaken the appraisal of the problems of the migrant U. S. citizens of this area, and the conducting of a local school and recreation project for their benefit. The project, conducted for four summers, has been financed largely by voluntary contributions from individuals and organizations in the community and elsewhere, but also has received a measure of support from interested governmental agencies because of its value as a pilot project. In the summer of 1953 a specific curriculum project was carried out for the purpose of developing materials which can be used by teachers of Spanish speaking migrant children in the public schools or in special project schools. This curriculum project was co-sponsored by the State Migrant Committee and supervised by the State Department of Public Instruction.
This Is Waupun 5
Community Life
CHURCHES The considerable influence of religion upon this community is shown by the fact that there are eleven churches in the city. Denominations represented are: Pella Lutheran, Emmanuel Reformed, Trinity Episcopal, First Reformed, Christian Reformed, Union-Congregational, First Methodist, St. Joseph's Catholic, Immanuel Lutheran, Netherlands Reformed, and the Assembly of God.
ORGANIZATIONS Waupun's service and civic organizations are represented by the Rotary and Kiwanis clubs, and the Chamber of Commerce. Cultural, patriotic, and fraternal organizations are many and overlapping in their membership. The League of Women Voters, organized in 1949, offers membership to any interested woman of the city or surrounding community.
COMMUNITY COUNCIL ON HUMAN RELATIONS Following its work with migrant workers, the Community Council on Human Relations in 1951 instituted a survey of services for children and youth in the community, with staff assistance from the Division for Children and Youth of the State Department of Public Welfare. The survey was made by citizens of the community and its findings, in several areas of concern, viz: Home and Family Life, Leisure Time, Schools, Churches, and Youth in Trouble, were summarized in a printed report. The report is available at the library and would be of value to anyone working with groups of all ages. As a result of its work on the migrant project, this Community Council on Human Relations was the recipient of a Freedoms Foundation award in 1951, for an outstanding community enterprise serving to further the principles of democracy.
COMMUNITY COUNCIL In order to provide an agency for centralized planning and co-ordinating of community activities, a new Community Council, having at present sections on recreation and health, was set up in 1953. It is hoped that every organization in the community will be represented on this council.
SOCIAL AGENCIES The usual national health and welfare agencies have chapters or committees in Waupun. Other than these, there are no purely local agencies. Waupun has recently organized its giving under a Community Chest plan, and although large single contributions are unusual, the total sum collected each year indicates that people, on the whole, are generous givers.
CIVIL DEFENSE An organizational set-up for civil defense is instituted by the mayor through appointment. The man appointed is in charge of block warden assignments, first-aid instruction, and provision for emergency shelters. Under the direction of the Ground Observer Corps of the Air Warning Service, airplane spotting is being done by prisoners 24 hours a day. A Mobile Medical Unit, which is equipped to provide emergency medical aid in time of disaster, has been organized and made ready under the supervision of a local doctor. Services of the unit are available wherever needed in the state. Part of the basement of the local
6 This Is Waupun
hospital has recently been designated as an emergency shelter, and has the facilities to accommodate a large number of people in case of disaster. Some types of supplies are being stockpiled.
Recreation
The city owns four small parks developed for picnic and play areas, with facilities designed to serve all age groups. They are fairly well scattered to serve the city. In addition, the high school athletic field provides space for football, baseball and other sports and out-of-door musical events. It is lighted for night use and long range plans call for the fuller development of the facility.
The Fond du Lac County park, one and one-half miles from town, has a swimming pool, wooded area, and picnic and play areas which also serve the city. In 1952 and 1953 extensive repairs were made to the pool which greatly enhanced its value to the community.
In 1949 a city recreation program was initiated as an outgrowth from a volunteer project financed by donations from two service clubs and the College Women's club. The city council has been appropriating $4,000 annually for a year-round program under the guidance of a part-time director. During the summer months, play programs for children have been carried on in the city parks and in the winter a basketball program for adults and church teams has been conducted in the high school gym. Under the sponsorship of the city recreational board, a roller skating program was initiated in 1952 and has proved popular. A variety of other activities has been provided from time to time but in general little provision has been made for out of school youth or for retired oldsters.
The mill pond area has been frequently mentioned as a possible facility for recreational development. Because of the contamination of the Rock river by industrial wastes from unknown sources, and because of technical difficulties involved in correcting this condition, progress has been slow. The use of a lagoon for sedimentation of lime from the city water softening system will eliminate the lime deposits which have been gradually filling the river bed. Precautions against contamination have been taken by local industrialists.
HORICON MARSH East of the city of Waupun, on highway 49, lies an area of approximately 30,000 acres which makes up the nationally known Horicon Marsh. The history of the marsh is a colorful story of the white man's conquest of the Indians, followed by a hundred year controversy as to the use the area was to serve. There is considerable evidence that this was once a great hunting and fishing area of the earliest Indians. Fur traders and possibly missionaries were the first to explore this Indian paradise, and later as the pioneer moved westward, the abundant resources of the Rock River valley were exploited.
Lumbering first, then agriculture proved the need of water transportation and water power for mills. This need led in 1846 to the con-
This Is Waupun 7
struction of a dam at Horicon which created a large lake, reputed to be the largest artificial lake in the world. The lake was famous for its fishing and hunting. Beginning in 1858, owners of farms on the edge of the marsh began damage suits against the owners of the dam, who finally abandoned it, and it was removed in 1869. This returned the marsh to its former state - a shallow, broad marsh, a natural waterfowl producing area - and a great hunting era began. In 1867 legislation permitting sale of the lands under the expansive lake had been secured, and land speculators eventually bought 20,000 acres at from six to ten cents an acre. When, in 1918, drainage ditches made it possible to use the land for agriculture, some of it was sold for as much as $400 an acre.
In 1921 conservation minded individuals began a fight for the restoration of the marsh and there followed a slow but steady progression of events culminating in public ownership of nearly 30,000 acres of marsh by the state and federal governments. About one-third of the area is owned by the state of Wisconsin, and about two-thirds by the national government. The marsh is being kept as a game and wild-life preserve. Being on the great Mississippi River flyway, it is a natural refuge for migratory birds, and spring and fall see tremendous flocks of geese and ducks resting there.
Industrially, the marsh has slight effect upon the city of Waupun, although the area gives work to from six to ten men during the open hunting and trapping seasons of the marsh. Recreationally, the value of the marsh is great. It is estimated that 6,000 man days per month during the fishing season are spent there, with northern pike being the most abundant of game fish and bullheads and perch the most numerous of the pan fish. During the hunting season, certain areas are open to hunters. Greatest of all its assets is the esthetic value of the marsh. Roads across it are kept in repair, and there is seldom an evening when there are not several cars parked along the roadways so that the occupants may watch the abundant wild life visible from the highway. Geese, ducks, herons, egrets, cranes, mudhens, swan, beaver, muskrats, marmot, deer, and innumerable other wild creatures may be observed in their natural habitat.
8 This Is Waupun
PART II
Waupun's Government
Personnel
Waupun is a city of the fourth class, as determined by state law on the basis of population (less than 10,000). Our charter provides for an elected mayor-council form of government.
THE VOTERS elect these officials for 2-year terms
Mayor $900 a yr.
Justice of Peace (2)
Treasurer $3,420 a yr.
Assessor $800 a yr.
Clerk $3,600 a yr.
6 Councilmen (1 each ward $300 a yr.)
6 Supervisors (1 each ward)
Officials and Boards appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the Council
City Attorney $750 a yr. $25 for day out of city
Commissioner Public Works ,,$5,100 a yr.
Public Health Officer $400 a yr. and Board of Health
City Sealer $40 a month
City Nurse $315 a month,
Planning Board No pay
Board of Public Works
Library Board (7) No pay
Recreation Board(5) No pay
Public Utility Commission (5) $200 a yr. (Com. Pres. $250)
Fire and Police Commission (5) No pay
Powers and Duties of the City Government
Duties of the Mayor:
To see that state and city laws are enforced.
To see that officials and employees do their duties.
To recommend to the council any measures he deems wise.
To veto ordinances which he considers ill-advised. A three-fourths majority vote of the council can override his veto.
Duties of the Council:
To pass ordinances necessary for local government.
To prepare an annual budget.
To levy and collect taxes.
To appropriate and expend funds raised.
To buy or sell property as necessary for city needs. To approve appointments of officials and boards.
THE COUNCIL Council meetings are held the first Tuesday night of
This Is Waupun 9
each month and are open to the public. Although the council is empowered to pass ordinances necessary for local government, no local ordinance may violate the state constitution or law passed by the legislature within the framework of that constitution. Any ordinance is published in the newspaper, as are all official proceedings of the council. The council serves as the purchasing agent for all major supplies and equipment. Bids are required on items which cost over $1,000, and may also be taken on smaller expenditures. The council sets salaries of city employees by ordinance, with a few exceptions. City employees are covered under the State Retirement Fund and recently have come under Social Security as well.
APPOINTED BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS Boards hold regular monthly meetings. Each board is responsible for the operation of its own special department, and may recommend employment of necessary personnel. The members of the boards receive no pay, with the exception of the public health officer (a member of the Board of Health), and the public utility commission members, whose salaries are listed previously. The Public Utility Commission may set the salaries of its employees, and the Library Board may fix the salaries of the employees of the public library.
Finances
CITY BUDGET The yearly budget is published before the public meeting held each November (as provided by state law). The budget is adopted by the council after this meeting, at which any citizen may protest or suggest, although few do.
The total of the city's budget for 1954 was $213,300. This is about $39.50 per person, if you accept 5,400 as the population. City income and expenditures were divided according to the following percentages:
Sources of City Income City Expenditures
49% State income tax 31% Protection of person and property
24% Local property tax 3 I % Highways and streets
15% Other taxes 13% General government
12% Other local sources 6% Libraries
5% Recreation
4% Retirement
4% Health and sanitation
2% Vocational School
2% Unclassified
2% Welfare
In 1953, the property and real estate tax rate, upon each $1,000 of assessed valuation, was $51.95 in Dodge county and $48.08 in Fond du
10 This Is Waupun
Lac county. Property in Waupun is now assessed on the Dodge county side at about 43% of its true value, and on the Fond du Lac county side at about 48%.
The school district is a separate government unit, self-governing within the framework of the state laws, and it levies its own tax, which amounts to about 53% of the local property tax collected in Waupun.
Services Your Taxes Pay For
STREETS, TRANSPORTATION AND UTILITIES Expenditures for highways and streets take one of the largest portions of the city budget. The council, working with and through the commissioner of public works, is responsible for planning, building and maintaining streets, except the federal and state highways that go through the city. State and federal funds share the cost of these. Street lighting is supervised by the council, the work being done by the water and light utility. The council is responsible for street signs, but stop and go lights must be approved by the State Highway Commission if they are on a state or federal highway. Studies of traffic situations are made, and the recommendations of the State Highway Commission are followed.
Through highways cross the heart of both business and residential districts, and anyone traveling them soon becomes aware of the fact that our traffic laws are well enforced. The installation of parking meters in the downtown area has helped to solve the problem of parking during business hours. In addition to this, the city has purchased and improved areas to be used as free parking lots, and a citizens' planning committee is investigating other possibilities for free parking areas. Half of the income received from the parking meters has been used to pay the cost of installation. Rather than being added to city income, the other half is being used to buy property for parking.
The city owns the water and light utility, and hires a superintendent to manage it at a salary of $500 a month. The utility buys its electric current for local distribution, and local rates for water and light services are subject to the approval of the Wisconsin Public Service Commission. All accounts of the public utility are audited annually by a certified public accountant. The utility also manages the sewage treatment plant.
FIRE PROTECTION Waupun's fire station is located in the city hall. The city owns two new fire trucks. In the station are also housed two rural fire trucks, owned by adjacent townships and available for city use. A volunteer force of 22 firemen is paid $2 each a call, or $2 for the first hour, and $1 for every hour thereafter. The Fire and Police Commission selects the fire chief, and recommends him to the city council, after which he is referred to, and accepted by, the State Industrial Commission at Madison. His salary is $250 a year. Replacements for the volunteer crew are hired by the Fire and Police Commission. Fire inspections are limited because the small pay the chief receives precludes his giving much time to this service.
This Is Waupun 11
POLICE PROTECTION The police force is made up of the chief and six policemen. The chief is appointed by the Fire and Police Commission; members of the force are appointed by the chief, from a list approved by the commission. The training program is of local origin, new members learning from the chief and older members. When the F.B.I. or the Police Chiefs Association holds a regional meeting, members of the force attend and receive special training. The chief is paid $300 per month and the newest recruit $255, with older members of the force receiving $270. Men on the force participate in a retirement plan that is set up on a state-wide basis. The department has one car and one motorcycle.
OUR JAIL The city jail is in the city hall, with cells for both men and women. It is clean and sanitary. Usually it houses only an overnight guest. Criminal offenders are held in the county jail, eithe... [truncated due to length]Acquisition
Accession
2007.0020Source or Donor
James & Harriet LairdAcquisition Method
Gift
