Calumet County was created from Brown by Territorial act, December 7,1836, remaining attached to it, however, for all political and judicial purposes, until March 4, 1840. In accordance with an act of the Territory, approved in January, an electing, at the house of Elkanah Dick, Brothertown, and the mission-house at Stockbridge, was held on that day and resulted in the selection of John Johnson, Daniel Dick and David Fowler as County Commissioners. The Board held their first meeting at Mr. Fowler's house, electing Mr. Johnson, Chairman, and filled the other county offices. This organization fell to pieces after a few months' trial, and another was not attempted until 1843. At the general election held in that year, William Dick, Sr., James Cramona and John E. Fisher were chosen Commissioners. For several years the Board held their sessions at Stockbridge, although the act creating the county required them to sit at "Whitesborough;" but where that spot was and how they were to sit upon nothing, remained with the early settlers a conundrum.

The headquarters of the different county officers were-where they happened to reside at the time of their election. The first session of court was also held by A. W. Stow, Judge of the Fourth Circuit, in the mission-house at Stockbridge, May 7, 1850. Thus matters continued until the county had a poputation of 2,000, and had increased proportionately in political importance. The interior of the county, especially at what is now the city of Chilton, had been settling up rapidly. By 1852 Moses Stanton was the father and Mrs. Catharine Stanton, his wife, was the mother of all that region 'round. It boasted both a saw-mill and a grist-mill, erected by Mr. Stanton, and quite a lively settlement in every particular. It had become, in a word, a rival, and a formidable one, to Stockbridge, which from long continued habit claimed the county seat as its right. Mr. Stanton had seen his village wax strong for the past seven years, and when the Fall election of 1852 approached, which was to decide upon the location of the shire town, he entered into the canvass with vim, and his energetic " righthand man" was his wife. Shortly before the election occured, which was on the first Tuesday of November, she mounted a horse and in the face of a fierce storm of wind rode eighteen or twenty miles to canvass the northern part of the county. She had a cousin keeping a hotel where Mr. Beach afterwards lived, and he accompanied her to the polls. There being no tickets for Chilton, she wrote some and her cousin peddled them. It was with supreme satisfaction that she increased Chilton's chances by twelve votes. But this was not sufficient to carry the day by just one ballot. The result of the election was a tie; for Chilton Center, 222; for Stockbridge, 158; Moon's Grove, in the same township, 61; Charlestown, 3; against Chilton, therefore, 222. At a special election in December, 1853, out of the 501 votes cast, Chilton Center, which included the site of the present depot, received 304, as against 215 for Stockbridge and 2 for Chilton proper. In April 1857, a removal to the present site of the county buildings was voted upon favorably. The county officers who for so long had been having their own sweet will in regard to location, were now obliged to remove to the quarters . provided for them in Chilton. As noticed heretofore, sessions of the court had previously been held in Stockbridge, Moody Mann, the builder of the Brothertown mill, having been elected first County Judge, in 1850. In 1859 a contract was closed with the Board of Commissioners for the erection of a courthouse at Chilton. The frame was raised that year, but the building was not entirely completed until 1865, at a cost of $5,000. The jail and Sheriff's residence were built in 1874. For 1881 the county officers are as follows: William Paulsen, County Judge; William Mulcahy, County Clerk; Edward Mooney. Register of Deeds; Jacob Stephany, Treasurer; Thomas Lynch, District Attorney; W. B. Minaghan, Super-intendent of Schools; Anton Miesen, Sheriff; William J. Mallmann, Clerk of the Court; Jacobs Severin, Surveyor; John F. Kraus, Coroner.

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