Quick Facts about Wisconsin's History:
While searching for the Northwest Passage, French
explorer Jean Nicolet visited Wisconsin in 1634. He
arrived at Green Bay, and traveled southwest via the Fox
and Wisconsin Rivers until he reached the Mississippi.
Some 200 years later the Wisconsin Territory was organized
and Madison was chosen as the permanent capital. On May
29, 1848, Wisconsin became the 30th state in the Union
with Nelson Dewey serving as the first governor.
According to most sources, Wisconsin means:
"Gathering of the waters" and is derived from
the Ojibwe language. The state was once home to more than
a dozen Indian tribes, including the Winnebago, Potawatami,
Oneida and Menominee. Wisconsin received an influx of
Scandinavians, Germans, and other northern Europeans in
the mid- to late 1800s. Today the state has a population
of over 5,100,000.
Wisconsin is known as the Badger State after the living habits of early lead miners in the region who either lived in mine shafts or dug their homes out of the sides of
hills--just like badgers do. The state's large dairy industry has contributed
to Wisconsin's reputation the world over as
"America's Dairyland".
Kent
A. Peterson © 2003-2005