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bay "La Baie Verte" because of its greenish
color.
By the time of Wisconsin's statehood in 1848,
fur trading had given way to lumbering. For a short time in the 1860s and 1870s,
iron smelting rivaled the timber industry while the port handled increasing
amounts of fuel, feed and lumber. Today's major local industry had its start in
1895 when the first paper mill was built. The borough of Green Bay was formed in
1838 and is the nucleus of today's city. The 1850s brought an influx of Belgian,
German, Scandinavian, Irish and Holland immigrants with the most newcomers
coming from Belgium. In the 1860s the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad linked
the area to other parts of the state. As the area grew, the paper industry soon
became a major employer. In time, the location also became an international port
with domestic and international trade.
By the 1920s the city's meat packing industry
furnished a name for a company sponsored "sandlot" football team. The Green Bay
Packers soon became one of 2 charter teams of the National Football League and
have won more championships than any other team in NFL history. Green Bay is
also the only NFL team to win 3 straight titles, and hold the honor of winning
the first 2 Super Bowls in 1966 and 1967 and again in 1997. Heritage, tradition
and success on the grid iron has brought invaluable name recognition to the
Green Bay area.
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