The name "White" was given to the lake by the Native Americans who hunted and fished in the area many years ago. It was so named because of the white sand and marl in the lake bottom. In 1876, pioneer Isaac Farrow attempted to drain White Lake and make a hay meadow out of the level bottom. He failed in this venture because he did not realize the depth of the lake and the fact that it was fed by springs.
Passages that mention White Lake, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Langlade County, Wisconsin, from U. S. government survey to present time, with biographical sketches1922 · page 50Read the page →
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The second saw mill in the county was probably owned by John Evans, who first operated on the Evergreen River south of White Lake about 1879. FIRST ANTIGO SAW MILL. Louis and Joseph Novotny came to Antigo in December, 1878, from Manitowoc, consulted with Hon.
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History of Langlade County, Wisconsin, from U. S. government survey to present time, with biographical sketches1922 · page 203Read the page →
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A year before the Yawkey-Bissell Lumber Company, lumber kings of Wisconsin for a half century, located, rumors floated about to the effect that a large saw and planing mill would be erected at White Lake. The rumors became facts when in July, 1916, the Yawkey-Bissell Lumber C6mpany began clearing land east of White Lake for a village and mill site. August 16, 1916, work was started on the large saw mill which
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Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
By decade
White Lake, decade by decade
One decade in the archive so far: the 1960s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →
From Wikimedia Commons (3), Wikipedia, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
1963
2020
2004