Waupaca County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 51,812. The county seat is Waupaca. The county was created in 1851 and organized in 1853. It is named after the Waupaca River, a Menominee language name meaning "place of tomorrow seen clearly."
History
Ancient indigenous peoples constructed earthworks that expressed their religious and political concepts. An early European explorer counted 72 such earthen mounds in what is now Waupaca County, many of them in the form of effigy mounds, shaped like "humans, turtles, catfish and others." There were 52 mounds constructed around what is now called Taylor Lake. Most mounds were lost to agricultural development. One mound, shaped like a catfish, is still visible in a private yard along County Hwy. QQ, just east of Taylor Lake. The site was marked by a local women's club with a commemorative plaque installed on a large stone. The water includes 22 lakes that form the Waupaca Chain O' Lakes. These lakes are majority spring fed and connected by the Crystal River outlet. Waupaca County is also home to Partridge Lake on the Wolf River and the Waupaca River.
Major highways
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- 20px U.S. Highway 10
- 20px U.S. Highway 45
- 20px Wisconsin Highway 22
- 20px Wisconsin Highway 49
- 20px Wisconsin Highway 54
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- 20px Wisconsin Highway 76
- 20px Wisconsin Highway 96
- 20px Wisconsin Highway 110
- 20px Wisconsin Highway 156
- 20px Wisconsin Highway 161
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Railroads
- Canadian National
- Watco
Buses
Airports
- KCLI - Clintonville Municipal Airport
- KPCZ - Waupaca Municipal Airport
Adjacent counties
- Shawano County - north
- Outagamie County - east
- Winnebago County - southeast
- Waushara County - southwest
- Portage County - west
- Marathon County - northwest