Sheboygan's Esslingen Park is one of the county's most historic spots
It was a trading post built in 1795 by a French-Canadian fur trader
SHEBOYGAN — Situated between the Sheboygan River and Lower Falls Road, the little-known Esslingen Park was key to the founding of Sheboygan.
South Taylor Drive and Indiana Avenue, some four miles from the mouth of the Sheboygan River, marks the location of the first white settlement in Sheboygan County. It was a trading post built 1795 by Jacques Vieau, a French-Canadian fur trader, for trading with the Indians. At this place stood a populous Indian village, Pe-Ji-Bo-Nau-Ga-Ning, named after a fish dam built by the Indians. Two prominent Indian trails had their junction here, and the river was also an important trade route to and from the interior of the county.
William Farnsworth, a native of Vermont, erected a new fur trading station here in 1818, which he maintained for 14 years. Later on, William Payne and Colonel Oliver C. Crocker began a sawmill in 1834, which they sold to Farnsworth in 1835. Jonathan S. Follett had charge of the mill, and near the mill, his wife, Eliza Follett, ran a boarding house and hostelry for the mill hands and occasional travelers.
The Folletts were the first permanent white settlers in Sheboygan County. In 1844, WM Ashby, a well known pioneer started a farm just across the river, where he lived until his death in 1898. For many years, a covered wooden bridge, known to old timers as the Ashby Bridge, spanned the river at this location
Trading Post, Wayside, Park
In 1948, the Sheboygan County Highway Department erected a historical marker explaining the history and significance of the land. The strip of land later became known as the Ashby Bridge Wayside. In 1963, the City of Sheboygan annexed the land from the Town of Sheboygan. In August 1971, city officials re-dedicated it as Esslingen Park. It is named after Esslingen, Germany — the sister-city of Sheboygan.
Officials back then had plans to rename Lakeview Shooting Park for the German city but chose the wayside instead.
While located within the City of Sheboygan limits, Esslingen Park is owned and maintained by Sheboygan County. The city annexed the land from the Town of Sheboygan in 1963. When construction started on the Taylor Drive Beltline section between Erie Avenue and Indiana Avenue in 1984, the park was relocated further west to its current location at 3301 Lower Falls Road.
A gathering of as many as 200 people occurred at the park on April 20th, 1980. After the crowd ignored orders from Sheboygan Police officers to disburse, officers from the Kohler Police Department, deputies from the Sheboygan County Sheriff's Office and even troopers from the Wisconsin State Patrol responded. Seven were arrested at the chaotic scene as firecrackers, loud stereo music, yelling and screaming unfolded.
Today, the park features a gravel parking lot and access to the Sheboygan River with a canoe launch. The historical marker from 1948 still remains along with two plaques.
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