Blankets, Nitro, and a Borrowed Buggy

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Blankets, Nitro, and a Borrowed Buggy The Great Horicon Post Office Job of 1913 Picture Horicon in the second week of June, 1913. The marsh north of town would have been turning green, the cattails springing up, the smell of water that rises off the Rock River basin once the weather turns, and by mid-month …

Dodge County Pioneers

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Dodge County Pioneers Before the railroads. Before the courthouses. Before Dodge County looked anything like it does today, this land was already home. The Ho-Chunk people and other Indigenous nations had lived among these marshes, prairies, and oak woodlands for countless generations before a single pioneer’s wagon ever arrived — hunting, farming, raising families, and …

Horicon’s First Casualty of World War II

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Private First Class Thomas F. Philipsky 1938 Horicon High School Graduate Private First Class Thomas F. Philipsky of Horicon, Wisconsin, is honored as the city’s first World War II casualty—a devoted son, athlete, and serviceman whose life story remains an inspiration to his community. Early Life: “Tommy” Thomas F. Philipsky was born on December 19, …

FROM GLACIAL LAKE TO LIVING MARSH

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A History of Tourism at Horicon and Horicon Marsh Long before Horicon was a city — before the dam, the ducks, the duck hunters, the drainage ditches, and the hard-won restoration — this corner of Dodge County was shaped by forces far older than any of us. What we now know as Horicon Marsh began …

The Terror of the Rock River

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The Terror of the Rock River An Ancient Legend of the Ho-Chunk and Potawatomi Peoples Carl G. Reinemann, Historical Horicon Wisconsin Long before European settlers pushed into the river valleys of southern Wisconsin, the Rock River was a storied waterway — a corridor of travel, sustenance, and deep spiritual significance for the Ho-Chunk (Winnebago) and …

S.S. Rich: Horicon’s Man with the Team

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S.S. Rich: Horicon’s Man with the Team Long before trucks and delivery vans crowded Horicon’s streets, Selby Simeon Rich was already doing the town’s heavy lifting. From 1907 until 1933 he worked behind a steady team of horses, a high‑seated wagon, and an aging bus, becoming one of the most familiar figures between Horicon’s depots …