On the 3rd of December 1836 the territorial legislature in session at Belmont, after a protracted and acrimonious debate, determined, largely through Doty's influence, to make Madison the permanent capital.
Doty Island, at the mouth of the river, belongs partly to Neenah and partly to Menasha.
The first Territorial Council met in 1836 at Old Belmont, now Leslie, Lafayette county, but in December of that year Madison was selected as the capital, after a contest in which Fond du Lac, Milwaukee, Racine, Green Bay, Portage and other places were considered, and in which James Duane Doty, later governor, owner of the Madison town plat, was charged with bribing legislators with town lots in Madison.
Here in 1823 Judge James Duane Doty (1799-1865) opened the first United States court in what is now the state of Wisconsin.
Doty Island, at the mouth of the river and divided about equally between the cities, is a picturesque and popular summer resort.