Laona is an

unincorporated Unincorporated may refer to: * Unincorporated area, land not governed by a local municipality * Unincorporated entity, a type of organization * Unincorporated territories of the United States, territories under U.S. jurisdiction, to which Congress ...

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

in the town of Laona in Forest County,

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

, United States.

U.S. Route 8 U.S. Highway 8 (US 8) is a United States Numbered Highway that runs primarily east–west for , mostly within the state of Wisconsin. It connects Interstate 35 (I-35) in Forest Lake, Minnesota, to US 2 at Norway in the Upper Peninsul ...

travels east–west through the community and

Wisconsin Highway 32 State Trunk Highway 32 (often called Highway 32, STH-32 or WIS 32) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Wisconsin that runs north–south in eastern Wisconsin. It runs from the Illinois border (at Illinois Route 137) north to the Michigan bord ...

travels south and west of the community. The community park has a sign stating that the community donated the 1979

Christmas tree A Christmas tree is a decorated tree, usually an evergreen conifer, such as a spruce, pine or fir, or an artificial tree of similar appearance, associated with the celebration of Christmas. The custom was further developed in early modern ...

at the nation's capitol. As of the 2010 census, its population is 583.

History

The town was established in 1903, although settlement had begun in 1896 by

William D. Connor William Duncan Connor (March 24, 1864 – November 20, 1944) was a Canadian-born American politician and the 20th Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin from 1907–1909. Early life Born near Stratford, Canada West, Connor moved with his pa ...

, a lumberman and President of his R. Connor Lumber and Land Company. The community was named for the daughter of Norman Johnson, an early resident; the first child born to a settler.*Connor, Mary R. (1972). ''A Century With Connor Timber''. Worzalla Publishing. Stevens Point, Wisconsin, page 47 In 1896, W.D. Connor backpacked sixty miles from

Gillett, Wisconsin Gillett is a city in Oconto County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,386 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Green Bay Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is adjacent to the Town of Gillett. History A post office called G ...

to explore the region along a proposed

Chicago and North Western Railway The Chicago and North Western was a Class I railroad in the Midwestern United States. It was also known as the "North Western". The railroad operated more than of track at the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states befor ...

route. Living off the abundant fish and game, he found several potential sites for mills and towns. The first was to become

Wabeno, Wisconsin Wabeno is a town in Forest County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,166 at the 2010 census. The census-designated place of Wabeno and the unincorporated communities of Carter, Padus, and Soperton are located in the town. Waben ...

the second was to become Laona. Connor ultimately purchased over surrounding Laona.*Connor, Mary R. (1972). ''A Century With Connor Timber''. Worzalla Publishing. Stevens Point, Wisconsin, page 45 The Laona area was a Potowatomi and Chippewa domicile. It was the location of early summer annual porcupine hunts, attracting Indians from all over Northern Wisconsin and Upper Michigan for days of killing and cooking porcupines and nights of feasting and dancing. There were also annual fall wild rice harvest festivals. Along what is now Laona's central street had been a long brush fence with spaced intervals. This was a deer hunting range, behind which Indians had lain in wait with bows, awaiting deer drives. A classic

company town A company town is a place where practically all stores and housing are owned by the one company that is also the main employer. Company towns are often planned with a suite of amenities such as stores, houses of worship, schools, markets and re ...

, Laona's mill, bank, hospital, store, school, library, and housing were all built by the Connor company. The town's economy revolved around the company's lumber mill. During business downturns of the 19th and early 20th century, "company

scrip A scrip (or ''chit'' in India) is any substitute for legal tender. It is often a form of credit. Scrips have been created and used for a variety of reasons, including exploitive payment of employees under truck systems; or for use in local comme ...

" or privately issued company money was issued and used as currency in the town. Laona remains a foundation of Wisconsin's lumber history. The private forestland surrounding the town has been selectively managed for the past 100 years and the forest is an example of sustainable management.

Business

Nicolet Hardwoods Corporation is one of the midwest's largest hardwood sawmills. Totally optimized and running the most sophisticated, technologically advanced equipment available, the sawmill claims

zero waste Zero waste is a set of principles focused on waste prevention that encourages redesigning resource life cycles so that all products are reused. The goal of this movement is to avoid sending trash to landfills, incinerators, or the ocean. Curren ...

product. W•D Flooring, LLC, the region's largest flooring mill, manufactures residential and commercial flooring, including gymnasium and sport flooring. They have made flooring for landmarks including the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. W•D Flooring also claims to produce zero waste product.

Recreation

The community is the site of the

Lumberjack Steam Train The Lumberjack Steam Train is a passenger excursion train operated on the Laona and Northern Railway, a heritage railroad located in Laona, Wisconsin and part of the Camp 5 Museum. It is operated by the non-profit Camp 5 Museum Foundation, Inc. T ...

, an operating turn-of-the-century passenger train and award-winning museum. This operates during the summer months. In the winter, Laona is home to the 100 Mile Snow Safari or "100 miler", one of Wisconsin's oldest snowmobiling trails. It offers nearly of undeveloped trail riding in a managed trail system. With dozens of undeveloped lakes and miles of undeveloped timberland to ride through, it is one of Wisconsin's most popular snowmobiling trails.

Images

Image:LaonaWisconsinTownHall.jpg, Town's hall in the unincorporated community Image:LaonaWisconsinPark.jpg, Community park Image:World's Largest Soup Kettle.jpg, "World's Largest Soup Kettle" in Laona File:Laona Wisconsin CDP Sign US8.jpg, Sign on US8 File:Laona Wisconsin CDP Municipal Building.jpg, Municipal building

References

External links

Laona, Wisconsin school district websiteLaona History Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Laona (Community), Wisconsin Census-designated places in Forest County, Wisconsin Company towns in Wisconsin