The Town of Stiles, Oconto County, was first settled in the early 1850s. In 1851, at the time when Oconto County was first organized, the Town of Stiles consisted of most of Oconto County north of Suamico and west of Oconto. The town was given its name by Anson Eldered, one of its first settlers, who named it after his son, Howard Stiles Eldred.
At one time, almost all of the land in the Town of Stiles was owned by Anson Eldred. Most of this land was used for Eldred's lumbering business, a business which showed great promise for the future of the Town of Stiles.
By 1910 though, things began to change. In 1910, the last log was sawed in the Town of Stiles, and by 1924, the pulp mill in the Village of Stiles burned down. These events brought an end to the only major industry the Town of Stiles has ever supported. As a result, even today, the majority of the inhabitants of the Town of Stiles find their employment elsewhere.
