Nicolet Controversy

October 3, 1965, Appleton Post-Crescent

The fascinating story of the visit of Jean Nicolet to Menasha has inspired Fox Valley residents for hundreds of years and have given us naming "rights" for schools, parks, boulevards, and even school yearbooks, like Menasha High's Nicolet.  Heck, even the St. Mary yearbook took on the French name "Renard," or Fox as sort of a tribute to the explorer.  But is it true?  Did he really come to our fair city?  The article above gives one pause, in that Green Bay has its own hold on the legend and historians are not convinced he ventured beyond the Green Bay area.  Since it was almost 400 years ago, no one knows for sure.  Even maps of the time were somewhat loaded with guesswork, and documented accounts are left to interpretation.  Controversy such as this is not without precedent, to be sure, but it does not betray Menasha's dedication to the legend.  The only sure thing is that if Menasha's marker were established today, the plaque's language would certainly be tweaked to eradicate the word "savages" and come up with something a bit more politically correct.