Originally covered by magnificent forest stands, the northern two-thirds of Marinette County became cutover lands that attracted farmers from the corn belt during World War I. Wartime prosperity and settlement were followed by agricultural depression and farm abandonment during the 1920's, creating a crisis for county government. In 1928, six of the county's 18 towns could not pay their highway assessments, and sparse settlement left pupil costs 40% higher than the state average. The county had less than 2% marketable timber left, although three-quarters of its industry depended on wood. In 1930, 14,000 acres were registered as non-taxable forest land, and in 1933 the county established a county forest and began reforestation. The forest grew to 227,000 acres and came to include many parks and campgrounds on rivers, reservoirs, and lakes. During the first 30 years, 1930-1960, the county grossed $1,000,000 in timber sales; in 1986 alone, it grossed $1,000,000 in timber sales, showing that the forest had matured.