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Greetings from the Badger State

Greetings from Wisconsin!

1848

WISCONSIN

The State of Wisconsinwww.wisconsin.gov

Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commercewww.wmc.org

Wisconsin Department of TourismPO Box 7976Madison, WI 53707-7976From within the state of Wisconsin, call: 1-800-372-2737From outside the state of Wisconsin, call: 1-800-432-8747Email: tourinfo@travelwisconsin.comwww.tourism.state.wi.us -OR- www.travelwisconsin.com

Wisconsin Historical Society816 State Street Madison, WI 53706Phone: 608-264-6400www.wisconsinhistory.org

Wisconsin Department of AgriculturePO Box 8934Madison, WI 53708 Phone: 1-800-789-9277www.datcp.state.wi.us

Helpful Contacts:

Wisconsin achieved statehood in 1848 and is called the Badger State because some of the state’s original settlers were lead miners who burrowed holes into the ground, like badgers, to serve as makeshift

homes.

“Bucky Badger” is also the name of the mascot for the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the state’s flagship university and one of the top research universities in the world. Madison is Wisconsin’s capital, but Milwaukee is the largest city.

The majority of Wisconsin’s 5.8 million people live in the southern part of the state, with the heaviest concentration along the southeastern corridor, including Milwaukee, Waukesha, Racine and Kenosha Counties.

Wisconsin is called “America’s Dairyland” because of the dairy industry. Wisconsin is second in the U.S. in total cow milk production behind California, but produces more whey and cheese than any other state, which is why Wisconsinites are sometimes called “Cheeseheads.” Wisconsin is also number one in goat milk production, mink pelts, corn for silage, cranberries, ginseng and snap beans. Wisconsin is also a leader in oats, sweet corns, tart cherries, maple syrup, green beans, carrots, potatoes, peas, onions and cabbage production.

But agriculture is not Wisconsin’s number one industry; manufacturing is. In fact, Wisconsin has the second most manufacturing jobs in the nation on a per capita basis. Among many other things, Wisconsin companies make motorcycles (Harley Davidson), bicycles (Trek), ships and yachts (Burger), boat engines (Mercury, Evinrude), snow blowers (Ariens), lawn mowers (Briggs & Stratton), military vehicles and fire apparatus (Oshkosh Corporation), mining equipment (Komatsu), tractors (J. I. Case, John Deere), bathroom fixtures (Kohler), household consumer products (S.C. Johnson), soy sauce (Kikkoman) and shoes (Allen-Edmonds).

Our third largest industry is tourism. People come to Wisconsin primarily from around the American Midwest to enjoy more than 12,000 lakes and many other attractions. Wisconsin’s most popular tourist destination is the Wisconsin Dells, which calls itself the Water Park Capital of the World. Door County (the “thumb” of the state) is also very popular. It has more shoreline than any other county in the U.S.

State Capitol

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Updated March 2019

Famous Wisconsinites

MILITARY

Richard Bong was known as the greatest fighter ace of World War II. Bong shot down 40 Japanese planes in his P-38 Lighting. James Lovell was born in Ohio, but grew up in Milwaukee. Lovell is best known for commanding the Apollo 13 lunar mission in 1970 that overcame a major malfunction. Admiral Daniel Leahy was born in Iowa, but grew up Wisconsin. He became the first Five-Star Fleet Admiral in the U.S. Navy during World War II. After the war, Leahy served as the first chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. General William “Billy” Mitchell is considered the father of the U.S. Air Force. He pioneered the use of aircraft as bombers, particularly against naval targets. Donald “Deke” Slayton was one of America’s original Mercury astronauts.

GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS

Les Aspin was a congressman and served as Secretary of Defense from 1993-1994. Lawrence Eagleburger served as U.S. Secretary of State from 1992-1993. George F. Kennan is credited with establishing the American Cold War policy of “containment.” Melvin Laird was a congressman and served as Secretary of Defense from 1969-1973. Golda Meir, the fourth prime minister of Israel, was born in Ukraine, but grew up in Milwaukee where she received a teaching degree and taught in the public schools. Today, there is a school in Milwaukee named in her honor. William Rehnquist served as Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1986-2005. Paul Ryan served as Speaker of the House of Representatives from 2017-2019, making him the highest ranking member of the federal government from Wisconsin in state history. Tommy Thompson is Wisconsin’s longest serving governor (1987-2001) who also served as U.S. Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services from 2001-2005.

ENTERTAINERS

Don Ameche, Oscar winning actor Willem Dafoe, actor Heather Graham, actor Chris Farley, comedian Harry Houdini, magician (born in Hungary) Liberace, musician Jackie Mason, comedian Steve Miller, musician Spencer Tracy, Oscar winning actor Les Paul, musician Charles and John Ringling, circus entrepreneurs Tony Shalhoub, actor Gene Wilder, actor Orson Welles, actor/director

OTHERS

Stephen Ambrose, historian Jeanne Dixon, psychic Eric Heiden, five-time Olympic gold medalist speed skater Aldo Leopold, author John Muir, naturalist (born in Scotland) Georgia O’Keeffe, artist Laura Ingalls Wilder, author Thornton Wilder, author Frank Lloyd Wright, architect

Wisconsin boasts many famous Americans in multiple fields, including the arts, science, architecture, politics and the military.

ABOUT WMCFounded in 1911, Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC) is a combination of the Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce, Wisconsin Manufacturers Association and Wisconsin Safety Council. WMC is Wisconsin’s leading business association representing nearly 3,800 employers of all sizes and from every sector of the economy.

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Prior to the arrival of Europeans, Wisconsin was inhabited by various Indian tribes, including the Menominee, Kickapoo, Miami,

Winnebago, Dakota (Sioux), Iowa, Fox, Sauk, Potawatomi and Ojibewa (Chippewa).

In 1634, Frenchman Jean Nicolet was the first European explorer to reach Wisconsin via Green Bay. France lost control of Wisconsin after its defeat to Great Britain in the French and Indian War (1754-1763). Wisconsin officially became part of the United States after the British surrender at the Battle of Yorktown (1781), which ended the American Revolutionary War. Most of Wisconsin’s white settlers were fur traders until the 1820s when lead miners came to what is now the southwestern part of the state. These miners built makeshift homes by burrowing into the ground and were nicknamed “badgers.” The miners displaced native Sauk Indians who eventually attempted to return to their lands sparking the Black Hawk War in 1832. The war ended with a crushing Indian defeat at the Battle of Bad Axe.

Wisconsin became the 30th state on May 29, 1848. In the early 1840s, Norwegian immigrants settled in central Wisconsin. By the late 1840s, large numbers of German immigrants made their way to the state, many settling in Milwaukee.

Prior to the American Civil War, Wisconsin was a hotbed of the anti-slave or abolitionist movement, which led to the founding of the Republican Party in Ripon in 1854.

The Civil War began in 1861. Many Wisconsin units served with distinction, including the 2nd, 6th and 7th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiments that, along with the 19th Indiana and 24th Michigan Regiments, formed the famous “Iron Brigade” or “Black Hat Brigade.” By war’s end, more than 90,000 Wisconsinites fought for the Union.

During the Battle of Chattanooga in 1863, 18-year-old Lieutenant Arthur MacArthur, Jr. of the 24th Wisconsin Regiment rallied his troops during a charge up Missionary Ridge by crying “On Wisconsin!” MacArthur, who was the son of Wisconsin’s lieutenant governor and the future father of Five Star General Douglas MacArthur of World War II fame, was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroics.

After the war, logging dominated the economy of northern Wisconsin, while Milwaukee was fast becoming a manufacturing center that would eventually be dubbed the “machine tool capital of the world.” In much of the rest of the state dairy overtook wheat as the state’s primary agricultural product.

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A Summary of Wisconsin History

Member of the “Black Hat Brigade.”

1910 painting of Jean Nicolet’s 1634 arrival in Wisconsin.

Wisconsin lead miners, nicknamed “badgers,” in the 1800s.

Wisconsin championed the Progressive Era at the beginning of the 20th century. Under Governor Robert “Fighting Bob” La Follette, Wisconsin became the first state to enact a statewide primary election system, the first workers compensation law and the first state-level income tax. In 1932, Wisconsin was the first state to enact an unemployment compensation law.

Wisconsin’s manufacturing sector continued to grow leading up to the beginning of World War I. Factories in Beloit, Milwaukee and Racine recruited large numbers of African American workers from the American South as part of the Great Migration.

When war was declared with Germany, Wisconsin became the first state to meet its draft requirement. More than 120,000 Wisconsinites served in the military during the “Great War.”

Wisconsin continued its patriotic reputation during World War II by sending more than 332,000 soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines to fight in the European and Pacific theatres.

In the late 1960s, the University of Wisconsin-Madison became one of the centers of the anti-Vietnam War movement, which culminated with the bombing of the Army Math Research Center (Sterling Hall) on campus in 1970. One graduate student was killed in the blast, which was the largest act of domestic terror in the U.S. until Oklahoma City in 1995.

In 2011, Madison was again the location of massive protests, this time against Republican Governor Scott Walker’s reforms to limit collective bargaining privileges for public employees to address a $3.6 billion budget deficit.

The backlash led to an attempt to recall Walker. But in 2012, Walker became the first U.S. governor to win a recall election.

Act 10 protests in Madison, 2011.

The “Dow Day Protests” at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, October 1967.

Former American Motors Lake Front Plant, Kenosha.

Wisconsin Maps

501 East Washington Avenue, Madison, WI 53703 | 608.258.3400 | www.wmc.org | WisconsinMC | WMC501 | @WisconsinMC

FACTS

Population: 5,711,767 in 2011 (20th in the U.S.) State Capital: Madison (population 245,691) Largest City: Milwaukee (population 594,833) Median Household Income: $47,220 (15th in the U.S.) Governor: Tony Evers, Democrat U.S. Senators: Ron Johnson, Republican; Tammy Baldwin, Democrat U.S. House Delegation: 5 Republicans, 3 Democrats Electoral Votes: 10 Statehood: May 29, 1848 (30th State) Nickname: Badger State, America’s Dairyland Name Origin: Wisconsin is an Indian word, but the origins are disputed. Some say it is an Algonquian word meaning “long river.” Others say it is a Chippewa/Ojibwa word that means “grassy place” or “gathering of the waters.” Highest Point: Tim’s Hill; 1,952 ft, 595 m Land Area: 65,497.82 sq. mi.; 169,639 km (23rd largest in U.S.) Number of Counties: 72 Animal: Badger Wild Life Animal: White-tailed deer Domestic Animal: Dairy cow Bird: Robin Flower: Wood Violet Tree: Sugar Maple Song: “On Wisconsin” Fish: Muskie (muskellunge) Beverage: Milk Dance: Polka Mineral: Galena Rock: Red Granite Insect: Honeybee Grain: Corn

Wisconsin Facts & Trivia

Created during the American Civil War, Wisconsin’s state flag was officially adopted in 1913.

Wisconsin State Flag

MINER: Early European settlers were lead miners. Wisconsin has other mineral resources, including iron, zinc, copper and even gold.

SAILOR: Wisconsin borders Lake Superior — the largest of the Great Lakes — to the north and Lake Michigan to the east. The Mississippi River serves as Wisconsin’s western border. These bodies of water are important for transportation, fishing and recreation.

1848: Year Wisconsin became a state.

FORWARD: State motto.BADGER: Wisconsin is known as the “Badger State.”

CORNUCOPIA: Cornucopia symbolizes a bountiful harvest.

ARM/HAMMER: The arm and hammer represent industry.

PICK/SHOVEL: The pick and shovel represent mining.

ANCHOR: The anchor represents shipping.

CENTER SHIELD: U.S. Coat of Arms.

LEAD INGOTS: Lead ingots represent Wisconsin’s mining heritage.

PLOW: The plow represents agriculture.

E PLURIBUS UNUM: The U.S. motto “Out of Many, One.”

TRIVIA

Wisconsin has more than 12,000 lakes and more than 7,400 rivers and streams. The first hydroelectric plant in the U.S. was built on the Fox River near Appleton in 1882. The first practical typewriter was designed in Milwaukee in 1867. Wausau is the Ginseng Capital of the World. Wisconsin has more than 15,000 miles of snowmobile trails. The first kindergarten in the U.S. was established in Watertown in 1856. The National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame in Hayward is shaped like a Muskie. The first ice cream sundae was made in Two Rivers in 1881. The Republican Party was founded in Ripon in 1854. The Hamburger was first created in Seymour in 1885. With an average of 2,500 performers, Milwaukee’s Summerfest is the nation’s largest music festival. Green Bay is Wisconsin’s oldest city and the smallest city in the U.S. with a major professional sports franchise, the Green Bay Packers. The Packers have won more NFL championships than any other team, including four Super Bowls. Wisconsin has two national parks (Apostle Islands National Lakeshore; St. Croix National Scenic Riverway), two national forests, 13 state forests, 46 state parks and 11 recreation areas. Wisconsin has 2,231 National Register of Historic Places listings. The first formal observance of Flag Day was held in Waubeka in 1896.