Lena, WI

Lena is an Oconto County village within the Town of Lena, shaped first by railroads and then by logging around Jones Creek and Little River. It was originally called Maple Valley. In 1872, French-Swiss immigrant Etienne Clement Roserens and his French-Canadian wife, Vitaline Tessier, established a homestead at the future village. Early residents concentrated homes and work along Jones Creek, a tributary of the Little River, while the railroad gave the settlement its name and connection to the wider region.

Lena's current map mixes a food-processing workplace with shops and civic services. Saputo Cheese USA is a major local employer, with restaurants, a medical clinic, auto services, a bank, churches, a school, daycare, police, and fire services around the village center. The annual Dairyfest in early September brings a parade, truck and tractor pulls, food vendors, and music tied to the region's farming history. Lena carries its railroad and logging past into a working village organized around services, Main Street, and a recurring agricultural celebration.