Hales Corners is a village in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 7,720 at the 2020 census. The land in the area that would eventually encompass the Village was first claimed as French, then British, and eventually as the Northwest Territory of the United States in 1783. It was the land of the Potawatomi Indians until they were force…
Hales Corners is a village in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 7,720 at the 2020 census. The land in the area that would eventually encompass the Village was first claimed as French, then British, and eventually as the Northwest Territory of the United States in 1783. It was the land of the Potawatomi Indians until they were forced to move from their land in 1838. They were the dominant tribe in southeast Wisconsin with large villages. Like the Europeans that arrived later, they planted crops, but theirs were beans, squash, and corn. By engaging in the fur trade, the Potawatomi learned to speak French and English, and they eventually intermarried with the Europeans. During the 1830s and 1840s, more settlers arrived, starting with a number of New England families. Among them were three Hale families, whose lineage has been charted to England in the 1200s. Hales Corners traces its history as a Village to 1837, when Seneca Hale laid claim to land here, and its name is credited to his brother William, who became its first Postmaster in 1854. Hales Corners was the site of monthly fairs begun in the mid-1800's, when the plank road between Janesville and Milwaukee passed through the village. First a gathering of horse traders, the fairs became a stock market for farmers trading pigs, cattle, and sheep.
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