Originally a part of Brown County, Manitowoc separated and officially became a county of its own in 1836. From the late 19th century to the early 20th century, Manitowoc County was a agricultural community built on dairy farming and planting corn and wheat as well as lumbering. European immigrants helped the county develop, and pioneers such as Jacob Grimm, Jacob Conroe, Ira Clark, and Judge George Reed took a chance and moved to Manitowoc to start a new life. Today, the county is made up of small villages and ghost towns. Communities such as Grimms, Osman, School Hill, Cato, and others that were once busy with activity were lost with time as travel became easier and larger cities had more to offer.