The Winnebago first arrived in northwest Kentucky around 500 BC and by 500 AD they had entered the area that is now Wisconsin. In the 1620's the Winnebago fought an inter-tribal war with the Potawatomis'. After this war, small pox and measles epidemics reduced the population of the Tribe from about 25,000 people to only about 150 people.

The Winnebago The Winnebago signed their first treaty with the United States in 1816 and signed boundary and cession treaties in the 1820's and 1830's. These treaties resulted in the loss of most of the tribal land. The Tribe was moved from what is now northeast Iowa, to Minnesota to South Dakota, and finally to their current location in Nebraska where the Winnebago Indian Reservation was established by treaties of 1965 and 1874.

Winnebago Tribe's Bison (Buffalo) Herd. The tribe has developed this herd on the west side of Hwy 75 just north of Winnebago. An interpretive and visitors' center is planned to encourage visitors to stop and observe the herd. The bison herd has been developed for the past six years and is still growing. Young bison calves are usually visible to the traverler who stops. An understanding of the cultural importance of the bison to Plains tribal culutre is a primary focus of maintaining the herd at Winnebago.