About

Coloma is a beautiful community that is a great place to live. We are located at the crossroads of State Highway 21 and Interstate 39 which brings daily visitors traveling through our small town. We have both young and old living and working side by side, as this is a wonderful area to both raise a family and retire. Coloma is truly a community of volunteers; we have robust community organizations that are always planning the next community event. We enjoy our year round outdoor recreational activities; you can always find something outside to do. Come visit us!

History:

On October 18, 1849 a treaty was made with the Menomonee Indians giving title to the government for a large tract of land west of the Fox River. Most of present day Waushara County was in this area. This land was formally opened for settlement in the fall of 1852. John Drake was an early pioneer who traveled with oxen from Albion, WI to the Big Bull Falls Wausau . In 1847 and '48 there were few inns and he camped on his journeys. Pilot Knob was one of the landmarks used to mark the trail. In the spring of 1849, Drake resolved to build a tavern and staked out a tract of land on the west side of the prairie. When he returned from the north, he brought a load of lumber and left it at the site. Family illness caused him to postpone the building.Several of the early settlers followed Drake from Albion, WI. One such settler was Charles White. He settled just south of Drake. He was a blacksmith, but also an educated man who was active in local politics. He started a movement which resulted in the organization of a new town in 1853 which includes the present day townships of Coloma and Hancock. The new town was named Coloma after the town in California where gold was first discovered. White was the first chairperson of the town and served as such for five years. In 1857 and '58 he was chairperson of the county board.Coloma's lollipop shaped water tower constructed in the late 1930's was the first of it's kind ever built. From this, Coloma attained a bit of fame in the World Book Encyclopedia