WISCONSIN STATE HISTORY
"Of all the states of the American union, none has a name that has been spelled in more
ways, or interpreted more variously, than Wisconsin. Among the spellings listed are
Mesconsin, Meskousing, Mishkonsing, Ouisconsens, Ouisconsin, Ouisconsing, Ouiscousing,
Ouiskonsin, Owisconsing, Quisconsing, Weeskonsan, Wisconsan, Wisconsin, Wishkonsing, and
Wiskonsin. The name has been attributed to the French, Menominee, Ojibwa, Potawatami,
Sauk-Fox, and Winnebago languages." This quote was taken from:
Indian Names on
Wisconsin's Map by Virgil J. Vogel.
The Wisconsin region was first explored for France by Jean Nicolet, who landed at Green
Bay in 1634. In 1660 a French trading post and Roman Catholic mission were established
near present-day Ashland.
Great Britain
obtained the region in settlement of the French and Indian Wars in 1763; the
U.S. acquired it in 1783 after the Revolutionary War. However, Great Britain retained
actual control until after the War of 1812. The region was successively governed as
part of the territories of Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan between 1800 and 1836,
when it became a separate territory.
Wisconsin is a leading state in milk and cheese production. In 1996 the state ranked
first in the number of milk cows (1,410,000) and produced 29% of the nation's total
output of cheese. Other important farm products are peas, beans, beets, corn, potatoes,
oats, hay, and cranberries. The chief industrial products of the state are
automobiles, machinery, furniture, paper, beer, and processed foods. Wisconsin
ranks second among the 47 paper-producing states.
Wisconsin is a pioneer in
social legislation, providing pensions for the blind (1907), aid to dependent
children (1913), and old-age assistance (1925). In labor legislation, the state
was the first to enact an unemployment compensation law (1932) and the first in
which a workman's compensation law actually took effect. Wisconsin had the
first state-wide primary-election law and the first successful income-tax law.
In April 1984, Wisconsin became the first state to adopt the Uniform Marital
Property Act. The act took effect on January 1, 1986.
The state has over 14,000 lakes, of which Winnebago is the largest. Water sports, ice-boating, and fishing
are popular, as are skiing and hunting. Public parks and forests take up
one-seventh of the land, with 45 state parks, 9 state forests, 14 state trails,
3 recreational areas, and 2 national forests.
Among the many points of interest
are the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore; Ice Age National Scientific
Reserve; the Circus World Museum at Baraboo; the Wolf, St. Croix, and Lower St.
Croix national scenic riverways; and the Wisconsin Dells.
Brought to you by members of Wisconsin
Other sites of interest
[WI AHGP]
[WI ALHN]
[WI WLHN]
[WIGenWeb]
[WI IGGS]
[WI Migrations]
[WI Archives]
[WISCONLINE Events]
Some graphics created by SuziQ for:
ALHN.
This site is affiliated with the American Local History Network,
Inc. (ALHN). No claim is made to the copyrights of individual submitters.
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