Additional works have been added to the Sheboygan County Historical Documents collection which will continue to help researchers in their quest for information. The newly added city directories will assist genealogists and historians, while the other specialized historical items will open new vistas to Sheboygan's early history. Further use of these materials will promote increased knowledge of Sheboygan County's fascinating history with a deeper understanding of the past. This collection will provide researchers, students, genealogists, and the general history buff the opportunity to explore a wealth of historical information about this county. It also provides an understanding of how this history contributed to the historical development of this state and country.

Ideally situated on the western shore of Lake Michigan, Sheboygan was once known as the "City of Chairs, Churches, Cheese, and Children" for its abundance of each. Over time, the city's claim to fame has changed. It is now celebrated for bratwurst and hard rolls, great surfing on Lake Michigan, speedy cycling on its city streets, unparalleled sportfishing, and miles of sandy beaches and beautiful dunes in family-friendly parks. A fanciful tale often told to explain the meaning of the name Sheboygan involves an Indian chief who had many sons but no daughters; when his wife presented him with yet another boy, she was rumored to have lamented, "She a boy again." In reality, most authorities agree that Sheboygan is a Chippewa word, but the meaning remains elusive. Some say it refers to a passageway near water, while others say it documents a great river disappearing underground.

Sheboygan County has a rich and varied Native America past. When the first Europeans arrived, there were probably only about a thousand Indians permanently residing in Sheboygan County. During the fishing season on Lake Michigan in spring there were for a few weeks perhaps one or two thousand more. These Indians had relinquished their title to the land by various treaties made with the United States, from 1831 to 1833, but remained here for a number of years until they gradually moved to other locales, as their former hunting and fishing territories disappeared. What is known of the Indians of Sheboygan County comes mostly from the perspective of white settlers. The Native Americans neither kept nor left any written records; they had no written language forms. What is known of their manner of life, their history and traditions, has come down to us in their myths and legends, through archeological remains, and in the accounts of explorers, missionaries, traders and early settlers. The records of even their white observers are scattered and scanty. They are mainly recitals of their own activities, their references to the Indians usually being only incidental. Much valuable information concerning the life and characteristics of the Indians has been obliterated, although some remains. This book will share a sampling of the written information gleaned from the archives of the Sheboygan County Historical Research Center.