The Chequamegon and Nicolet National Forests

Native Americans were the first people to explore and settle in the Wisconsin region. In the 1600s, Jean Nicolet, a French explorer, came to the Great Lakes region to promote fur trade with the Native American people.

In the 1930s, President Franklin Roosevelt established the Chequamegon and Nicolet National Forests. Chequamegon (pronounced sho-wah-ma-gon) comes from the Ojibway language and means land of shallow water. The Nicolet National Forest was named after Jean Nicolet.

During the 1930s in the midst of the depression, President Roosevelt also established the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). Men were enlisted in the CCC to help replant the depleted forest lands of Wisconsin. The old forests were heavily lumbered during the early 1900s and Roosevelt wanted this area restored to its natural state. The men planted thousands of acres of jack and red pine. After 10 years when the replanting was done, the CCC was deactivated.

The Chequamegon National Forest consists of 850,000 acres, while the Nicolet National Forest has over 660,000 acres. They are timber-producing forests. Many Christmas trees, transplants, twigs, boughs, cones, moss, and firewood are harvested from the woods. Harvesting keeps the forest in healthy condition, along with allowing the state and small towns nearby to benefit not only financially, but also economically and culturally.

These national forests host many activities for visitors. There are many campgrounds available to outdoor enthusiasts. The sites range from modern to rustic. Modern campgrounds have flush toilets, showers, electricity, picnic tables, fire pits, and dumping grounds. Rustic campgrounds allow campers to get back to the basics with fire pits, picnic tables and pit toilets.