The Town of Cato was originally known as “Nettle Hill” and “Harrisville” but officially became Cato upon the arrival of the railroad line about 1870.  One of the earliest settlers to the small rural community was John Killen, a Scottish immigrant.  Killen was a Civil War veteran who came to Cato in1869 and opened up a General Store along the Neenah and Manitowoc Plank Road (what we know today as Highway 10). 

The production of cheese in Wisconsin has changed dramatically along with our growing population, advances in transportation and the growth of our economy. It is estimated that there were once 3,600 cheese factories in Wisconsin with the number reaching 106 in Manitowoc County in 1927.