History
Formation and Early History (1929-1953)
The Southeastern Wisconsin Conference was formed for the 1928-29 school year by six high schools in southeastern Wisconsin: Clinton, Genoa City, Palmyra, Waterford, Williams Bay and Wilmot Union. [1] These were smaller schools than those in the Southern Five Conference, which covered roughly the same geographical area. Four years after the conference's formation, membership expanded to ten with the addition of Darien, Norris Foundation in Mukwonago, Union Grove and Walworth. [2] Mukwonago and Racine County Agricultural in Rochester joined the Southeastern in 1934, and the league subdivided into Eastern and Western Sections of six schools each: [3]
| Eastern Section | Western Section |
|---|---|
| Mukwonago | Clinton |
| Norris Foundation | Darien |
| Rochester Aggies | Genoa City |
| Union Grove | Palmyra |
| Waterford | Walworth |
| Wilmot Union | Williams Bay |
Palmyra and Walworth would leave the conference in 1936, [4] and Wilmot moved over from the Eastern Section to keep the numbers per section even at five apiece. In 1937, Clinton, Darien, Genoa City and Williams Bay would leave the Southeastern to form the Southern Regional Conference along with Capron (now North Boone) High School in Illinois. [5] East Troy joined the remaining six schools in the Southeastern to create a seven-member circuit for the 1937-38 school year. [6] Membership would continue in this configuration for sixteen years before East Troy, Mukwonago and Wilmot left to join the new Southern Lakes Conference in 1953. [7] They were replaced by Hartland, Pewaukee and Slinger, who were left without a conference after the dissolution of the 4-C Conference. [8]
A Decade of Changes (1953-1963)
The far-flung geographic footprint of conference membership ushered in a volatile period of changes during the Southeastern Wisconsin Conference's final decade. Hartland High School was closed in 1956 and replaced by Arrowhead High School, [9] who took Hartland's place in the conference. [10] Slinger left to join the new Scenic Moraine Conference in 1958, [11] and they were replaced by three returning members and one newcomer. Big Foot, Clinton and Palmyra were left without a conference after consolidation and closings whittled away membership of the Southern Regional Conference, and they rejoined the Southeastern in 1958. [12] That same year, Salem Central (now Westosha Central) High School joined the Southeastern after dealing with their own issues with long travel distances as members of the Braveland Conference. [13] In 1959, the Southeastern lost three schools: Arrowhead to the Little Ten, Pewaukee to the Scenic Moraine, and Racine County Agricultural to the school's closing. Williams Bay rejoined the conference that year after leaving the Southern Wisconsin Private Schools (SWAPS) Conference to bring membership to eight schools. [14] Two years later, Big Foot left to join the Southern Lakes Conference, and their place was taken by St. Mary's (now Catholic Central) High School in Burlington, the only private school ever to play in the conference. [15]
Demise and Aftermath
The Southeastern Conference ended operations in 1963. Four of its members (Salem Central, St. Mary's, Union Grove and Waterford) formed the new Southeastern Badger Conference, [16] while the other four (Clinton, Norris Foundation, Palmyra and Williams Bay) joined with Northwestern Military and Naval Academy in Lake Geneva and Wisconsin School for the Deaf in Delavan to form the Indian Trails Conference. [17]
