Menomonee River and Lower Falls

Menomonee River and Lower Falls. . Pitor to the earliest settlement of the village, the Menomonee River was an important resource for the Menominee and Chippewa Indian tribes who lived in the area. The Menomonee River was named after the Native American word “Mih-no-min-ee” which means “wild rice.” In pre settlement days, the river was a meandering, easy flowing stream except for a series of natural falls and rapids which occurred between Main Street and the Lime Kilns. The waterfall at this site recalls the natural character of the river that once existed upstream before the construction of the Lepper Dam and Mill Pond, "Early setters of the Village used the river’s steplike descant to develop several water powered mills. One such development was a sawmill constructed at this site in 1856 by Charles Nehs. The site was also the location of the Maca Lime Kilns built in 1891. Two of the original three kilns and the white lime spoils pile from the lime burning process are still visible today.