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Milwaukee County is bounded on the north by Dodge and Washington counties; on the east by Lake Michigan; on the south by Racine, and Walworth counties; and on the west by Jefferson: or on the north by the north line of township eight; south by the south line of township five, and west by the west line of range seventeen. Its mean or average length is thirty three and seven eighths miles from east to west, and its width is twenty four miles; occupying an area of eight hundred and thirteen square miles or sections. The length of the coast line measuring around the bays and points is 26 7/8 miles.

Milwaukee county was set off from Brown September 6th, 1834, by an act of the Legislature of Michigan, and organized the next year: it then extended from the Illinois state line seventy two miles north, and west beyond Madison, in Dane County. In June 1836, the population had increased to 2892; in 1838 to 3131; in 1840 to 5605, and in 1842, when last enumerated, to 9565. Such has been the rapid increase since June 1842, that the population may now be safely estimated at sixteen thousand.

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