Kewaunee County's "Big Steb"

Noted genealogist/historian Shirley Ver Bruggen's blog presents the story of her ancestor Ahnapee's DeWayne Stebbins. In Kewaunee County's 160 years of existence - that anniversary will be marked on April 16, 2012 - DeWayne Stebbins remains one of its most illustrious sons. That Big Steb entered politics was not a surprise to Wolf River residents.

Baseball bound the young men of Wolf River together as it does in Algoma today. Abisha Perry was an athlete who Bruggen's ancestor George Wing would write of 50 years later remembering his slugging prowess and the long legs that just "ate up the bases." It was Steb who generally played left field, and if the ball came his way, he took his time getting it. If the ball was slugged over Mrs. Lovel's First Street barn and Steb found it, he would often stop to discuss politics rather than throwing the ball. Wing never proffered an opinion on Steb's contribution to the team, but his contributions to his community, county and country are well documented.

DeWayne Stebbins was elected as a state senator in 1872. When he died on June 12, 1901, he was the oldest member of the Senate and had also been a 27-year member of the Kewaunee County Board. At his 66th birthday a few months earlier, his fellow senators expressed their appreciation of his work by presenting him with a gold-headed cane. In 1900 Steb was a candidate for the Republican nomination for governor, but he withdrew in deference to Bob LaFollette. LaFollette was among the three thousand others at his funeral only months later.

A Wisconsin State Journal columnist wrote in 1938 that "few men have served in the Wisconsin legislature who had a larger degree of common sense than Mr. Stebbins." It was said Steb did not talk much and rarely debated. Had Mrs. Lovel been living, she might have disputed that. Steb was known to carefully investigate the measures before him. Constituents could depend on his voting. record.

It was said never introduced a bill, but he did. Rumor had it that unobserved in 1894, he slipped through a bill permitting cities and towns to changed their names. Ahnapee had long been the butt of jokes and took advantage of the legislation when it changed its name in to Algoma in 1897. Years earlier, January 1873, the Enterprise reported that Steb introduced a bill prohibiting smoking and the reading of newspapers within the bar of the House. Though Steb was ahead of his time, the legislature was not and the bill was voted down.

Mr. Stebbins' importance was noted in a September 13, 1883 Record article when it was pointed out that he had a "telephone instrument" at the Bank of Ahnapee so he could "communicate with the outside world without leaving his office."

When Frank Slaby bought the Ahnapee House, he renamed it the Stebbins Hotel. It remains on the corner of 2nd and Steele in Algoma, though few residents are aware of the naming and know little of the illustrious Big Steb.