Wisconsin Legislature: AR25,2,14

LRB-5787/1

CMH:skw&cjs

2021 - 2022 LEGISLATURE

2021 Assembly RESOLUTION 25

January 28, 2022 - Introduced by Representative Mursau. Referred to Committee
on Rules.

1Relating to: commemorating the centennial anniversary of the incorporation of the
2Village of Lena, Wisconsin.

3 Whereas, Swiss immigrant Étienne Clement Roserens (Rosera) and his wife
4Vitaline (née Tessier) established a homestead in October 1872 on the land that is
5now the Village of Lena; and

6 Whereas, other settlers, most of whom were French-Canadian, arrived and
7settled on the land in the late 1870s; and

8 Whereas, the original homesteaders' only access to their land was by a 13-mile
9logging trail from Oconto, Wisconsin; and

10 Whereas, the settlers referred to the land as Maple Valley due to the impressive
11stands of maple trees, which the settlers harvested for syrup; and

12 Whereas, by 1879, the settlement had grown large enough to require a post
13office; and

14 Whereas, George R. Hall was named postmaster and named the new post office
15and village after his fiancée, Helena “Lena" Louisa McCartney; and

1Whereas, the Milwaukee and Northern Railway Company extended its main
2line through Lena in 1882; and

3 Whereas, the settlement grew rapidly after the arrival of the railroad, with a
4blacksmith shop opening in 1882, a general store and hotel opening in 1883, and
5telephone lines arriving in 1890; and

6 Whereas, the Village of Lena was incorporated in 1921; and

7 Whereas, since 1985, the village has celebrated Dairyfest, with festivities
8including a parade, tractor pull, and five kilometer walk-run; and

9 Whereas, Lena is home to the former Frigo Cheese Company, now part of
10Saputo Cheese USA, Oconto County's largest employer; and

11 Whereas, Lena offers small-town charm and amenities only a half-hour drive
12from Green Bay; and

13 Whereas, the citizens of Lena plan to celebrate the village's centennial from
14December 2021 through fall 2022; now, therefore, be it

15Resolved by the assembly, That the members of the Wisconsin Assembly do
16hereby recognize 2021 as the 100th anniversary of the incorporation of the Village
17of Lena, Wisconsin; and, be it further

18Resolved, That the assembly chief clerk shall provide a copy of this resolution
19to the clerk of the Village of Lena, the clerk of Oconto County, and the Wisconsin
20Historical Society.

21 (End)