Founded in 1878 by Civil War veterans Francis Deleglise and George Eckart, Antigo was known to local native Americans as "wild woods", a term still applicable today given the area's bountiful wild areas. Though the pristine wilderness remains, Antigo embarks on the 21st century replete with resources that situate it on the cutting edge of technology, manufacturing and growth.

Vast expanses of timber spawned the region's first major industry for German, Czech, Polish, and Scandinavian immigrants. Oxen needed to transport logs helped generate a second industry, farming, that became a staple of the area and drew upon surrounding soils rich in silt loam, Wisconsin's state soil. (more)