Mathias E. Eichten came to Willow Lake Twp in 1872 and homesteaded the land where Wanda is located today. He married Gertrude Gorres in 1874. In 1899 the railroad came through and purchased 40 acres for the Wanda plat from Mathias, and also purchased land from the Dooner brothers and Mathias Jenniges. Mathias and his brother Valentine Eichten purchased 6 lots back from the railroad for a hardware store and lumber yard. The first post office was located in the hardware store, Valentine was the first postmaster, and Mathias Eichten was the first mayor. Wanda, named after a Chippewa Native girl named Wanenda, was incorporated in 1901. Ancestral Park is now located on those lots.