William Long founded Fenton in 1819 and named it after his grandmother, Elizabeth Fenton Bennet. The original town plat covered 12 acres in 8 square blocks, and the first lots were sold in 1819. Fenton was incorporated in 1874 to bring law and order to the settlement of 150 residents, which had gained a colorful reputation from fights in the local saloon between local woodcutters and visiting cattle drovers. Religion achieved what politics could not, and Fenton settled down. No elections were held for the next 70 years, and the population remained low, reaching only 230 in 1937. Fenton was re-incorporated in 1959 with a population of 300. Today Fenton is a flourishing, industrial and expanding residential city with a promising future.