The original inhabitants of the area were the Ojibway Indians, who referred to the area by their name for pelican, which is zhede (g). This was translated into various spellings such as Sheetak, Shetak, Shetuk, Chetack, until the first United States Post Office was opened in 1872. The spelling was then standardized to be "Chetek".

Other notable dates in history happened in 1872:

* The Omaha Railroad began service to Chetek

* The Knapp-Stout logging camp was established

* The first schoolhouse was built. It was of log construction.

Additional important dates:

1881 - Medical care available

1882 - The Chetek Alert began publication, a newspaper still serving the area

1891 - Became a city

1903 - Telephone service introduced

1904 - Fire Department began

The Chetek Hydroflites Water Ski Sjow Team has provided entertainment to the region for the past 20 years. The club puts on shows every Thursday evening at 6:30 PM throughout the summer months on beautiful Lake Chetek. Visit the club's website for more information: http://www.hydroflites.com/Home_Page.html

Chetek holds many exciting activities throughout the year and should be considered in your travels through Barron County. Contact the City at: www.chetek.net and the Chamber at: www.chetekwi.net for more information.