The county's name originated from the word calumet, the French name for the ceremonial pipes used by Native Americans in councils on the east shore of Lake Winnebago.

This was a second migration for the Brothertown and Stockbridge Indians, who had moved to New York after the American Revolutionary War.

The Oneida shared land on their reservation with these peoples, who had been displaced by the years of colonization in New England, warfare and disease.

[6] Calumet County figures prominently in the 2015 Netflix television series Making a Murderer, which documents the arrests and trials of Manitowoc County resident Steven Avery, which involves from 2005 the Calumet sheriff's department and district attorney's office of Ken Kratz.

[15] Additionally, there were 14 reported induced abortions performed on women of Calumet County residence in 2017.

[16] The University of Wisconsin–Extension has compiled statistics on Calumet County's dairy industry.

[18] As of April 1, 2010, Calumet county had 174 farms with dairy herd licenses.

North-south state highways include 55 along the west edge, and 32/57 through the center.

The Tri-County Expressway (WI 441) runs in an east–west to north–south curve in the extreme northwest corner of the county within Appleton city limits.

Nearly the entire west boundary of the county is located in Lake Winnebago.

[21] The fairgrounds held dirt track stockcars races on Friday nights in the summer.

The west boundary of the county is located almost entirely in Lake Winnebago.

The lake is the site of ice fishing in the winter, and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources manages a sturgeon spearing season in February.