History of the Green Bay Area

Ancient Times – 1634 Native American inhabit the region

1634 – Jean Nicolet lands at Red Banks (just northeast of present day Green Bay ) and is the first white man to have contact with the Native Americans inhabitants of this area. A 1910 painting (seen left) by Frank Rohrbeck depicts the event. This painting can be found inside the Brown County Courthouse.

1671 – Father Claude Allouez establishes the Mission of St. Francis Xavier along the Fox River at the Rapides de Peres (rapids of the Fathers), which is present day De Pere. This is the first semi-permanent European structure in the region that would beome the state of Wisconsin.

1673 – Frenchmen explorer Louis Joliet (1645-1700) and Father Jacques Marquette (1637-1675) set out to explore the “large river to the South”. They traveled into Green Bay and south on the Fox River . They traversed a small piece of land between the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers (at present day Portage , WI ) and continued south until they located the Mississippi River. Read Marquette's Journal Here.

1745 – Augustine de Langlade, his son Charles de Langlade, and 6 others establish first permanent European Settlement in Green Bay , making Green Bay the oldest town in the State of Wisconsin . Augustine de Langlade married the daughter of an Ottawa Indian Chief. His son Charles later took part in the French and Indian War (1754-1763) playing a vital role commanding the French Allied Indians in the Defeat of Edward Braddock (1755).

Bust of Charles de Langlade (Langlade County Historical Society)

1763 – Peace Treaty ends the French and Indian War and this region was turned over to British Control. Charles de Langlade and others were allowed to retain their lands and holdings here.

1785 – Colony had “seven families and fifty-six souls”. Sixteen lived on the West side of the river and the remaining forty lived East and established two “stores”.

1812 – Total population was approximately 250 souls. Some residents of the region took up arms against the United States on the side of Great Britain during the war of 1812.

1816 - United States Establishes Fort Howard on the West Bank of the Fox River. After the War of 1812, the U.S. Government thought it wise to protect the water route from Lake Michigan to the Mississippi River. They established Fort Howard on the Northeast and Fort Crawford in present day Prairie Du Chien, WI. Fort Howard was decommissioned in 1853, but several of the Fort's buildings have been preserved and restored at Heritage Hill.

1820 – The predominantly French familes were all active in the fur trade with the “American Fur Company”. They cultivated small farm fields but their diet was “game, fish, and hulled corn. They caught large quantities of Sturgeon and Trout, and they made immense quantities of Maple Sugar.” Due to wet and humid conditions, mosquitos breeding near Fort Howard cause a malaria outbreak among the Fort's garrison.

1825 - The first newspaper West of Lake Michigan is published in Green Bay "The Intelligencer". A.G. Ellis and J.V. Suydam were the editors. The first framed house is erected in Wisconsin for Judge Doty, the first Judge in the area.

1830 - Village of Navarino is established.

1835 - Village of Astor is established.

1839 - The Borough of Green Bay is established when Navarino and Astor combine.

1848 - Wisconsin becomes the 30th state on May 29.

1854 - City of Green Bay Charter is received from teh Legislature, officially marking the birth of the City of Green Bay.

1856 - Borough of Fort Howard is formed on the west side of the Fox River.

1857 - August 27th - The Green Bay Police Corps is established and Henry Baird  is named as Chief of Police.  Baird was born in Dublin, Ireland, moved to Pennsylvania as a youth eventually studyling law.  He was later a school teacher at Mackinaw, MI, and moved to Green Bay in 1824.  He was the first lawyer in the State of Wisconsin.

1890 - John L. Tennis sworn in as Police Chief

1895 - April 16, 1895, Fort Howard Consolidates with the City of Green Bay to form one city - The City of Green Bay.

1899 - Thomas Hawley sworn in as Police Chief.  He would remain the Chief of Police until 1946.  He is the Guinness Book Record Holder for longest serving Chief of Police.

1919 - A local meat packing company sponsors a sand lot football team, The Green Bay Packers. The team was formed by Curly Lambeau and George Calhoun.

1933 - First use of radio by the department broadcast from WHBY located in the Bellin Building. Calls for service were given out between programming as part of a "gentleman's agreement" with the station.

1951 - December 17, 1951 - Officer George A. Motquin becomes the first and only GBPD Officer killed in the line of duty. He was hit by an automobile on icy streets while walking.

1956 - The first standalone GBPD headquarters is established in a converted supermarket building located at the intersection of Jefferson and Pine. Prior to that Officers were headquartered in Fire Station One and City Hall.