The town was established in 1903, although settlement had begun in 1896 by William D. Connor, a lumberman and President of his R. Connor Lumber and Land Company. The community was named for the daughter of Norman Johnson, an early resident; the first child born to a settler. In 1896, W.D. Connor backpacked sixty miles from Gillett, Wisconsin to explore the region along a proposed Chicago and North Western Railway route. Living off the abundant fish and game, he found several potential sites for mills and towns. The first was to become Wabeno, Wisconsin the second was to become Laona. Connor ultimately purchased over surrounding Laona. The Laona area was a Potowatomi and Chippewa domicile. It was the location of early summer annual porcupine hunts, attracting Indians from all over Northern Wisconsin and Upper Michigan for days of killing and cooking porcupines and nights of feasting and dancing. There were also annual fall wild rice harvest festivals. Along what is now Laona's central street had been a long brush fence with spaced intervals. This was a deer hunting range, behind which Indians had lain in wait with bows, awaiting deer drives. A classic company town, Laona's mill, bank, hospital, store, school, library, and housing were all built by the Connor company. The town's economy revolved around the company's lumber mill. During business downturns of the 19th and early 20th century, "company scrip" or privately issued company money was issued and used as currency in the town. Laona remains a foundation of Wisconsin's lumber history. The private forestland surrounding the town has been selectively managed for the past 100 years and the forest is an example of sustainable management.
Business
Nicolet Hardwoods Corporation is one of the midwest's largest hardwood sawmills. Totally optimized and running the most sophisticated, technologically advanced equipment available, the sawmill claims zero waste product. W•D Flooring, LLC, the region's largest flooring mill, manufactures residential and commercial flooring, including gymnasium and sport flooring. They have made flooring for landmarks including the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. W•D Flooring also claims to produce zero waste product.
Recreation
The community is the site of the Lumberjack Steam Train, an operating turn-of-the-century passenger train and award-winning museum. This operates during the summer months. In the winter, Laona is home to the 100 Mile Snow Safari or "100 miler", one of Wisconsin's oldest snowmobiling trails. It offers nearly of undeveloped trail riding in a managed trail system. With dozens of undeveloped lakes and miles of undeveloped timberland to ride through, it is one of Wisconsin's most popular snowmobiling trails.
