Doty Float

July 5, 1920 saw the Doty centennial celebration in the Twin Cities.  Menasha Wooden Ware constructed this float in the shape of the Doty cabin. 

And what was the Doty centennial?  In 1818 James Duane Doty, the future governor of the Wisconsin Territory, had moved from New York to Detroit, the capital of Michigan Territory, where he became an apprentice to Charles Larned, the attorney general. In 1818, he was admitted to the bar in Wayne County and Michigan Territory and he practiced law until September 29, 1819, when he was appointed clerk of court for Michigan Territory.  In June of 1820 Doty resigned his clerkship in order to serve as secretary to the Lewis Cass expedition, a summer-long exploration of the part of Michigan Territory lying west of Lake Michigan as far as the headwaters of the Mississippi River.  This journey was undertaken at the suggestion of Secretary of War John Calhoun and sought to survey and map the topography and natural resources, and learn about the various Indian nations of the northern Great Lakes region.

James Doty first saw Doty Island during this expedition. He moved to the island in 1845 after serving as governor.  Soon after, the Reed brothers would arrive in the area and the stage was then set for the intense development to follow. 

July 2, 1920 Oshkosh Northwestern

July 7, 1920 Oshkosh Northwestern