Oconto

Understand

Oconto was inhabited by the Menominee for centuries, ending in the 1836 Treaty of Cedars, which saw the removal of the Native Americans from their larger range to today's Menominee Indian Reservation to the west of Oconto. In the city, Copper Culture State Park contains the remains of the Copper Culture Indians, dating back to 5000-6000 BC, and is considered to be the oldest burial grounds in the state of Wisconsin. Gaining its name from the nearby Oconto River (Okāqtow in the Menominee Language, roughly translating to "the place of the pike"), the city incorporated in 1869, and is home to the first Christian Science Church, which dates from in 1886.

Go next

• As the main highway in the area, US 41 connects Oconto with the much larger city of Green Bay to the south, and another bayside city, Marinette, to the north. Just outside of Marinette, US 41 enters the Upper Peninsula in Menominee.
• WIS 22 heads southwest to Shawano, the largest city along WIS 29 (main highway between Green Bay and Wausau).
• Sturgeon Bay, the largest city in scenic Door County, is located directly east from the city across the bay of Green Bay

Get in & around

In Oconto, the main method of travel is either by car or on foot. It is connected to the state highway system, including:

• US 41 - the main expressway in the area connects the city to Green Bay and Marinette while bypassing the city with three freeway exits.
• WIS 22 - the only state designated highway ends west of downtown Oconto and connects travelers to Gillett and Shawano.
• There are also several county highways in the area, one of them being County Highway Y (lakeshore county highway between Oconto and Peshtigo), that connect Oconto with other smaller communities.