My first recollections of Waupaca County are the earliest memories of my childhood. My family began coming to this area shortly after the end of W.W.II. In those days, my family – my parents, my two brothers and me - would make the trip from Milwaukee in my dad’s Nash Rambler. The drive took close to three hours in those days. Now, with four-lane highways and increased speed limits, modern cars make the trip in two hours or less from just about anywhere in Wisconsin.
Like many summer visitors, we were introduced to the area by family or friends-of-the-family. In our case it was my grandparents who had a cottage on a lake. Originally it was a refuge where my grandfather could fish and hunt and get away from business and the “hubbub” of fast growing Appleton, WI. Soon, however, it became apparent that grandma enjoyed the peace and calm as well. It wasn’t long before their children – including my parents - began joining them for weekends during the summer. And their grandchildren just loved it!
My brothers, my cousins and I spent hours roaming the woods collecting pinecones, acorns and ‘precious’ stones. Finding the occasional arrowhead or other artifact was a source of excitement and pride. We created our own arts and craft projects. We went exploring. We picked wild berries to put on our breakfast cereal. We swam in the lake all day. We went boating whenever we wanted to. We had a blast!
In Milwaukee I wasn’t old enough to cross the street without adult supervision. Here, we could hike or swim for hours without causing our parents a moment of concern. Our friends were people who, like us, were escaping the heat, dirt and danger posed by ‘the city’.
It wasn’t long before my parents bought a cottage of their own. Every year after that we loaded up the Nash the same day school let out for summer vacation. We’d be on the road within an hour of the school bell’s final ring.
We’d stop for supper in Fremont and, if we hadn’t made my dad too crazy by then (“Are we there yet? Are we halfway?”), there were ice cream cones to eat in the car. And comic books. This was the only day of the year that we were encouraged to get comic books. We each chose two, then traded them among ourselves. It was years later when I figured out that this was a trick to buy some peace and quiet in the car. The over-loaded Nash would take us north for our endless, barefoot summer of swimming, hiking, boating and discovery. We’d stay until the calendar forced us to back to the city for school. Looking back, it was like a movie.
About thirty years ago I learned, quite by accident, where Waupaca County was. As a child it was “up north”. No further explanation was necessary. On a drive home from Canada I saw the signs with familiar names. Some of things I saw stirred something deep inside me. As soon as time and work allowed, I came back. And I came home.
They say you can’t go home again. “They” haven’t been to Waupaca. All the wonderful things you remember from your childhood are still here. Everything that makes this place special for children holds the same magic for adults. Granted, your interests may have changed over the years. But all the things you loved most about this area - the woods, the water, the adventure - that special feeling you get - are all still here.
It’s no surprise, then, that this has become a common scenario. It seems that for every native, there’s a transplant whose decision to move here was driven by those childhood memories. And the realization that the dreams live on.
For every ‘local’ family, there’s a family that chose to leave the city behind and live and play in a place that really feels like home. People who haven’t lived it don’t really understand the personal charm of rural living. They like to call it, “America’s Heartland”. If they only knew how right they were.
Waupaca County is a near perfect place to raise a family. For families already grown, it is an ideal place to enjoy your hard-earned retirement years. Whether you’re growing up or growing old, Waupaca County is the home you’ve always dreamed of. Welcome home.
The author is a former radio announcer who moved to Waupaca in 1972. Now an advertising consultant, Schulz loves to travel as long as he can always come home to Waupaca County.
