After the arrival of the Milwaukee and Mississippi Railroad in 1852, Whitewater became a regional shipping center that blossomed into a powerful industrial town. The Esterly Harvesting Machine Company and the Winchester and Partridge Wagon Works established their first factories in Whitewater after the coming of the Milwaukee and Mississippi. Their manufactured goods were known around the country for exceptional quality. A myriad of new inventions and patents came from Whitewater's business population, and Whitewater's farmers and dairymen consistently won prizes for their produce, while its factories produced reapers and wagons that won national competitions. In the 1890s, however, development suddenly stopped and Whitewater lost its economic clout in a few short years. This book explains what happened to Whitewater.