George D. Fennell

When Gilbert Knapp founded Racine in 1834 and the first pioneers settled there, no one had the remotest idea that the wilderness would one day transform into a thriving city. Ideally situated on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Root River, the site was chosen by Knapp because of its harbor potential. The prospect of farming on the level prairies surrounding Racine also attracted many of the area's first settlers. Racine County is especially suited...