History of the Town of Gordon, WI

The earliest evidence of human activity at what is now Gordon was a campsite found during construction of the new lane of the Highway 53 Expressway which dated to the Paleo-Indian period of between 5,000 – 8,000 B.C. At the time of first recorded European writings of this region, the area that is now the Gordon Flowage comprised vast beds of manoomin (wild rice), giving the upper reaches of the St. Croix the name the Folle Avoine Country, “Folle Avoine” being the French term for wild rice. At that time, a permanent Ojibwe village existed near the Gordon Dam, then known as Namai-Kowagon (meaning “Sturgeon Dam”) led by Chief Kabemappa of the Great Fish Clan. Kabemappa was the Chief of the entire Upper St. Croix and thus was the signer of many important treaties, including the 1825 Treaty at Prairie du Chien, 1826 Treaty at Fond du Lac, 1837 Pine Tree Treaty, 1844 Isle Royal Agreement, 1846 Treaty at LaPointe, and 1847 Treaty of Fond du Lac. Kabemappa’s village and the vicinity of Namai-Kowagon was a frequent stopping place and wintering post of fur traders, including the traders Joseph LaPrairie and Daniel Dingley, who respectively would become the grandfather and father of Sarah Gordon. Click here to read more.