When Wisconsin became a state in 1848, its densely forested north awaited railroad construction before settlement. Taylor County, the "Garden Spot of Northern Wisconsin," was founded on March 4, 1875. Named for then-governor William R. Taylor, the area was primarily forested with eastern hemlock. The county's portion of the Wisconsin Central Railroad was built in 1873, and station sites were named for suburbs of Boston, including Medford, Charlestown, Chelsea, and Westboro. The county's early years were dominated by lumbering and leather tanning, the latter made possible by tannic acid leached from hemlock bark. By 1900, dairy farms dotted its glacial hills. Today, Taylor County's municipalities are home to diverse industries, ranging from snowshoe manufacturing to America's largest pizza plant.
