Wisconsin

Wisconsin is a Midwestern state of the United States famous for its dairy products. Herds of milk cows graze on the rich, green pastures of the Wisconsin countryside. They make Wisconsin one of the nation’s leading milk producers. The state is also a leading producer of both butter and cheese. This tremendous output of dairy products has earned Wisconsin the title of America’s Dairyland. The processing of milk into butter, cheese, and other dairy products is a leading manufacturing activity in Wisconsin. Manufacturing is more important to Wisconsin’s economy than it is to the economies of most other states.

Wisconsin is one of the leading states in the manufacture of food products, machinery, and paper products. Besides dairy products, the state’s chief food products include sausages, canned and frozen vegetables, and beer. The cities of southeastern Wisconsin produce chemicals, computers and electronic equipment, fabricated metal products, machinery, and motorcycles. Central Wisconsin has many paper mills.

Most of Wisconsin’s workers are employed in service industries. These industries include education, finance, health care, and trade. The state’s public university system is one of the largest in the nation. Milwaukee ranks as one of the Midwest’s chief financial centers. Ports along Lake Michigan and Lake Superior handle both foreign and domestic trade.

The natural beauty and recreational resources of Wisconsin attract millions of vacationers every year. Wisconsin has about 15,000 lakes to delight swimmers, fishing enthusiasts, and boaters. Hikers and horseback riders follow paths through the deep, cool north woods of Wisconsin. Hunters shoot game animals in the forests and fields. In winter, sports fans enjoy skiing, tobogganing, and iceboating.

Wisconsin has won fame as one of the nation’s most progressive states. A reform movement called Progressivism started in Wisconsin during the early 1900’s. The state began many educational, social, political, and economic reforms. Its reforms were later adopted by other states and the federal government. Many of these reforms were sponsored by the La Follettes, one of the most famous families in American political history.

Wisconsin led the way to direct primary elections and regulation of public utilities and railroads. It pioneered in pensions for teachers, minimum-wage laws, and workers’ compensation. Wisconsin also was the first state to end the death penalty for crime.

The first schools for training rural teachers were established in Wisconsin. So were the first vocational schools. The University of Wisconsin was one of the first universities to offer correspondence courses. The nation’s first kindergarten began in Wisconsin. Wisconsin established the first library for state legislators.

Wisconsin has been a leader in the development of farmers’ institutes and cooperatives. It also played a major role in the founding of the Republican Party. One of the nation’s first hydroelectric plants was installed in Wisconsin. Wisconsin was the first state to adopt the number system for marking highways. It passed the first law requiring safety belts in all new automobiles bought in the state.

Wisconsin was derived from a Native American word of uncertain origin. People have credited the Miami, Menominee, and other groups for introducing the name. It has several possible meanings. They include gathering of the waters, wild rice country, home land, and river of red stone.

Wisconsin has been nicknamed the Badger State. Its people are known as Badgers. This nickname was first used for Wisconsin lead miners in the 1820’s. Some of these miners lived in holes that they dug out of the ground or into hillsides. They reminded people of badgers burrowing holes in the ground.

Madison is the capital of Wisconsin. Milwaukee is the state’s largest city.

People

Population.

The 2020 United States census reported that Wisconsin had 5,893,718 people. The population had increased 4 percent over the 2010 figure, 5,686,986. According to the 2020 census, Wisconsin ranks 20th in population among the 50 states.

About 75 percent of Wisconsin’s people live in the state’s metropolitan areas (see Metropolitan area). The metropolitan areas completely in the state are Appleton; Eau Claire; Fond du Lac; Green Bay; Janesville-Beloit; Kenosha; Madison; Milwaukee-Waukesha; Oshkosh-Neenah; Racine-Mount Pleasant; Sheboygan; and Wausau. Parts of three other metropolitan areas lie in Wisconsin. They are Duluth (Minnesota); La Crosse-Onalaska; and Minneapolis (Minnesota)-St. Paul (Minnesota)-Bloomington (Minnesota).

Milwaukee, Wisconsin’s largest city, is a leading center of manufacturing. Madison, the state’s capital, is Wisconsin’s second largest city. It is home to the oldest and largest campus of the University of Wisconsin. Other large Wisconsin cities are Green Bay, Kenosha, and Racine. All are important manufacturing and shipping centers.

Many of Wisconsin’s people are of German descent. Milwaukee is a leading U.S. center of German American culture. Other large population groups include people of English, Irish, and Polish descent. About 6 percent of the state’s people are African Americans. The state also has growing numbers of Hispanic Americans and Hmong immigrants from Southeast Asia.

Schools.

Michael Frank, a newspaper editor in Southport (now Kenosha), led the movement for free schools in Wisconsin. In 1845, he started Wisconsin’s first public school. The state Constitution, adopted in 1848, provided free schooling for all children in Wisconsin between the ages of 4 and 20. In 1856, Margaretha Meyer Schurz opened the first kindergarten in the United States in Watertown.

In 1891, the University of Wisconsin established one of the first correspondence schools in the United States. Wisconsin was also the first state to set up a system of state aid for industrial education. A 1911 Wisconsin law required all communities with populations of 5,000 or more to establish an industrial education board. Today, the state-supported Wisconsin Technical College System has about 50 campuses.

Wisconsin’s public schools are directed by a superintendent of public instruction. The superintendent is elected to a four-year term. School attendance in the state is required of children between the ages 6 and 18.

Libraries.

Wisconsin has hundreds of public libraries. All of them take part in the state’s 15 regional library systems. Wisconsin also has many college and university libraries and other special libraries. The Wisconsin State Law Library was founded in Madison in 1836. State legislation authorizing free public libraries was passed in 1872. The Dr. H. Rupert Theobald Legislative Library in Madison collects state, local, and federal government information. It serves as a reference center for lawmakers, state employees, and the public.

The State Department of Public Instruction is responsible for both public and school library service in the state. The Milwaukee Public Library is the largest library in the state. Memorial Library at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has a collection of materials on the history of books. The American Geographical Society at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee has a collection of historical maps. The Wisconsin Historical Museum in Madison has books, newspapers, and manuscripts on the history of North America.

Museums.

The Milwaukee Public Museum is Wisconsin’s largest museum. It is among the finest natural history museums in the nation. The State Historical Society in Madison features exhibits on the state’s history. Wisconsin has some highly specialized museums. They include Circus World in Baraboo; the Wisconsin State Agricultural Museum in Cassville; the Civil War Museum in Kenosha; the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee; and the EAA Aviation Museum in Oshkosh. Old World Wisconsin, near Eagle, honors the ethnic groups that settled the state. The Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, in Wausau, is known for its bird collection. Wisconsin has art museums in Beloit, Madison, Milwaukee, Oshkosh, and Racine, and on university campuses.

Visitor’s guide

Wisconsin’s natural beauty has made it a favorite vacation spot with tourists in all seasons. Millions of people visit the state each year. Vacationers enjoy Wisconsin’s sparkling lakes, rolling hills, quiet valleys, and cool, pine-scented breezes. In spring and summer, hikers and cyclists enjoy the countryside. The winters are ideal for cross-country skiing, skating, and snowmobiling. The state is host to the American Birkebeiner, North America’s largest cross-country ski race. The World Championship Snowmobile Derby takes place at Eagle River.

The city of Milwaukee offers a wide range of ethnic and music festivals. Summerfest, a music festival, offers live music of every type. Summer theaters in the state offer plays of all types. During late July and early August, Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh becomes the busiest airport in the United States. The EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association) holds its annual AirVenture Oshkosh there.

Door County peninsula, in the northeast part of the state, features about 300 miles (480 kilometers) of Lake Michigan shoreline. Wisconsin Dells, another popular vacation spot, offers scenic boat rides and water parks. Many annual events celebrate the state’s rich ethnic heritage and diversity.

Land and climate

Wisconsin is a land of rolling hills, ridges, fertile plains and valleys, and beautiful lakes. During the Pleistocene Epoch, which ended about 11,500 years ago, a series of glaciers traveled over most of present-day Wisconsin. The glaciers scraped hilltops, filled in valleys, and changed most of the surface. As the ice melted and the glaciers wasted away, they left thick deposits of earth materials called glacial drift. These deposits blocked drainage of the water. They thus produced lakes, marshes, and streams with falls and rapids. Glaciers do not appear to have touched southwestern Wisconsin. Geologists call this region the Driftless Area. Much of this portion of the state is rough, with steep-sided ridges and deep valleys.

Land regions.

Wisconsin has five major land regions. They are the Lake Superior Lowland; the Northern Highland, or Superior Upland; the Central Plain; the Western Upland; and the Eastern Ridges and Lowlands.

The Lake Superior Lowland

is a flat plain that slopes upward toward the south from Lake Superior. The plain ends from 5 to 20 miles (8 to 32 kilometers) inland at a steep cliff.

The Northern Highland

covers most of northern Wisconsin. It slopes downward toward the south. The region is a favorite vacationland because of its forested hills and hundreds of small lakes. Timms Hill, the state’s highest point, rises 1,952 feet (595 meters) above sea level in Price County.

The Central Plain

curves across the central part of the state. Glaciers covered the eastern and northwestern parts of this region. Much of the southern portion was not touched by glaciers. In this southern portion, the Wisconsin River carved the scenic gorge called the Wisconsin Dells.

The Western Upland

is one of the most attractive parts of Wisconsin. Steep slopes and winding ridges, untouched by glaciers, rise in the southwestern part of the region. Limestone and sandstone bluffs stand along the Mississippi River.

The Eastern Ridges and Lowlands

region extends from the Green Bay area southward to Illinois. Rolling plains of glacial material partly cover limestone ridges. The ridges run from north to south. This region is the richest agricultural section of Wisconsin. It has the state’s largest areas of high-grade soil. It also has the state’s longest growing season.

Shoreline

of Wisconsin extends 381 miles (613 kilometers) along Lake Michigan. The shoreline stretches another 292 miles (470 kilometers) along Lake Superior. Bluffs and sandy beaches line the Lake Michigan shore. Lake Superior’s shoreline also has sandy beaches, but fewer rugged bluffs. Wisconsin’s largest ports include Ashland, Green Bay, Manitowoc, Milwaukee, and Superior.

Rivers, waterfalls, and lakes.

An east-west divide cuts across northern Wisconsin. This ridge of land separates short rivers that enter Lake Superior—such as the Bad, Montreal, and Nemadji rivers—from the longer rivers that flow southward—such as the Flambeau and St. Croix. A north-south divide runs down the eastern third of the state. West of this divide, the rivers flow into the Mississippi. These rivers include the Black, Chippewa, La Crosse, St. Croix, and Wisconsin. Streams east of the divide empty into Lake Michigan directly or through Green Bay. These rivers include the Fox, Menominee, Milwaukee, Oconto, and Peshtigo.

Wisconsin has hundreds of waterfalls. The highest is Big Manitou Falls in Pattison State Park, in the extreme northwest. The falls, on the Black River, drop more than 165 feet (50 meters).

Wisconsin has about 15,000 lakes. Lake Winnebago is the state’s largest lake. It covers 215 square miles (557 square kilometers). Green Lake is the deepest lake. It plunges more than 237 feet (72 meters) deep, . Other large natural lakes include Butte des Morts, Geneva, Koshkonong, Mendota, Pepin, Poygan, Puckaway, and Shawano. Artificially created lakes include Beaver Dam, Castle Rock, Chippewa, Du Bay, Flambeau, Petenwell, Wisconsin, and Wissota.

Plant and animal life.

Forests cover almost half of Wisconsin. The state’s softwood trees include balsam fir, hemlock, pine, spruce, tamarack, and white-cedar. Hardwood trees include ash, aspen, basswood, elm, maple, oak, and yellow birch.

Blueberries, huckleberries, Juneberries, wild black currants, and other shrubs grow in parts of northern and central Wisconsin. Pink trailing arbutus blossoms over rocks and under trees in early spring. More than 20 kinds of violets bloom in all sections. In autumn, the Wisconsin countryside is a blaze of color. The red and gold tree leaves blend with brilliant asters, fireweeds, and goldenrods.

Bears, coyotes, deer, and foxes are found in Wisconsin’s deep forests. Fur-bearing animals include beavers and muskrats. Badgers, gophers, and prairie mice scurry through the underbrush. Other animals found in Wisconsin include chipmunks, porcupines, raccoons, and woodchucks.

Wisconsin’s northern lakes and streams abound with such game fish as bass, muskellunge, pickerel, pike, sturgeon, and trout. Game birds include ducks, geese, jacksnipes, partridges, pheasants, ruffed grouse, and woodcocks. Loons and other waterfowl breed on the northern lakes. The marshes shelter bitterns, black terns, and coots. Other birds in Wisconsin include chickadees, nuthatches, robins, snipes, swallows, warblers, and wrens.

Climate.

Wisconsin usually has warm summers and long, severe winters. Lake Michigan and Lake Superior make summers somewhat cooler and winters slightly milder along the shores. Average January temperatures range from 12 °F (–11 °C) in the north to 20 °F (–7 °C) in the south. Couderay recorded the state’s lowest temperature, –55 °F (–48 °C), on Feb. 2 and 4, 1996. Average July temperatures range from 67 °F (19 °C) in the north to 73 °F (23 °C) in the south. The state’s record high, 114 °F (46 °C), was set at Wisconsin Dells on July 13, 1936.

Wisconsin’s precipitation, including rainfall and melted snow, averages about 33 inches (84 centimeters) a year. Annual snowfall averages from more than 100 inches (250 centimeters) in northern Iron County to about 35 inches (89 centimeters) in southern Wisconsin.

Economy

Wisconsin’s economy is full of contrasts. From the state’s pastoral countryside to its many factories, Wisconsin’s people find work in a wide range of industries. Manufacturing is one of the state’s leading economic activities. Service industries, taken together, employ most of Wisconsin’s people. These industries flourish in the state’s cities and resort areas. Dairy products are important to the state’s agriculture and manufacturing industries.

Natural resources

of Wisconsin include rich soil, plentiful water, minerals, and vast forests.

Soil.

Southeastern, southern, and western Wisconsin are the state’s best agricultural areas. These areas have mostly gray-brown forest soils. They also have sections of dark prairie soils. In northern Wisconsin, soils are less fertile and may contain too much acid.

Water.

Wisconsin has much inland water in addition to its outlying waters of Lake Michigan and Lake Superior. These two Great Lakes and the Mississippi River provide inexpensive transportation. Wisconsin’s thousands of lakes help make the state a popular vacationland. Rainfall is abundant. Little water is needed for irrigation.

Minerals.

Almost every Wisconsin county has sand and gravel. Stone, including limestone and granite, is also valuable. Jackson County has supplies of iron ore. There are also large deposits in Ashland and Iron counties. Deposits of lead and zinc lie in Grant, Iowa, and Lafayette counties. Sulfide deposits containing large amounts of copper and zinc lie in Forest, Oneida, and Rusk counties. Few of the metal ores are actively mined. Lime is also mined in Wisconsin.

Forests

cover almost half the state. Hardwood trees make up most of the forests. Most of the woodlands have second-growth trees. The most valuable hardwoods found in Wisconsin include ash, aspen, basswood, elm, maple, oak, and yellow birch. Softwoods include balsam fir, hemlock, pine, spruce, tamarack, and white-cedar.

Service industries

account for the largest portion of both Wisconsin’s employment and its gross domestic product. Gross domestic product is the total value of all goods and services produced in the state in a year. Much of the state’s service industries are concentrated in the Milwaukee area.

Milwaukee ranks as one of the Midwest’s major financial centers. It is the home of one of Wisconsin’s largest banking companies, Marshall & Ilsley. A large U.S. insurance company, Northwestern Mutual, is also based there. Roundy’s Supermarkets, Inc., a leading wholesale grocery company, also has its headquarters in Milwaukee. Milwaukee is home to many trucking companies.

Much of the remaining service industry activity is in Madison. Madison, the state capital, is the center of government activities. The University of Wisconsin is one of the largest university systems in the nation. Its medical center, near the Madison campus, is one of the state’s leading health care facilities. Many hotels, restaurants, and retail trade establishments are in the Green Bay, Madison, Milwaukee, and Wisconsin Dells areas.

Kohl’s, a large department store, is headquartered in Menominee Falls. Associated Banc-Corp, a large Wisconsin banking company, is based in Green Bay. Several Native American reservations lie in the northern part of the state.

Manufacturing.

Food and beverages are important manufactured products in Wisconsin. The state is a leading producer of butter and cheese. Its cheese factories make about a fourth of the cheese produced in the United States. Many dairy-processing plants and meat-packing plants operate in the Green Bay, Madison, and Milwaukee areas. Milwaukee and many other cities make beer, Wisconsin’s leading beverage product.

The Madison, Milwaukee, and Racine areas are the leading chemical manufacturing areas in the state. Important chemical products include cleaning products, paints, and pharmaceuticals (medicinal drugs).

The manufacturing of computer and electronic equipment takes place primarily in the Eau Claire, Madison, and Milwaukee areas. Medical instruments and microchips are among the chief types of electronic products. Johnson Controls, a leading maker of climate control systems for buildings, is based in Milwaukee.

Fabricated metal products include knives and hardware, machine shop products, metal cans, and metal forgings and stampings. Many metal products are manufactured in the Milwaukee area.

Southeastern Wisconsin is one of the leading U.S. centers of machinery production. The main types of machinery made in the state include agricultural and construction machinery, engines and turbines, heating and cooling equipment, and metalworking machinery.

Motor vehicles and motor vehicle parts are the main types of transportation equipment. Harley-Davidson, Inc., the leading producer of motorcycles in the United States, is headquartered in Milwaukee.

Wisconsin is a leading state in papermaking. The leading paper-manufacturing areas are in the center of Wisconsin, the Fox River Valley, and the Milwaukee area.

Agriculture.

Dairying, Wisconsin’s leading farming activity, provides about half of the farm income. The dairy industry started about 1870. It was encouraged through the efforts of many people, especially William Dempster Hoard. In 1872, Hoard helped organize the Wisconsin Dairymen’s Association, which did much to improve and promote Wisconsin’s dairy products. Later, it urged farmers to work together and to market their products cooperatively. Today, many farm cooperatives have headquarters in Wisconsin. Cooperatives are organizations in which farmers join together to try to get better prices for their crops (see Cooperative).

Wisconsin ranks among the leading states in milk production. Dairy cattle graze throughout Wisconsin. The central and southwestern parts of the state and the area around Sheboygan have the most dairying.

Beef cattle rank as Wisconsin’s second most valuable livestock product, after milk. Farmers in Wisconsin also raise broilers (young, tender chickens), hogs, sheep, and turkeys.

Corn is Wisconsin’s leading field crop. It is grown mostly in central and southern Wisconsin. Farmers in all regions of the state raise hay. Other field crops raised in Wisconsin include soybeans and wheat.

Wisconsin is an important producer of vegetables and fruits. Wisconsin is a chief producer of cabbage, carrots, cucumbers, green peas, potatoes, snap beans, and sweet corn. Most of the vegetables are sent to canneries. Wisconsin is the leading cranberry-growing state. It is also a leading state in the production of cherries. Wisconsin is the leading U.S. producer of ginseng root. Most of this herb is exported to Asia, where it is valued for its medicinal properties.

Mining.

Crushed stone and sand and gravel account for most of Wisconsin’s mining income. Other mined products include dimension stone (stone cut to specific sizes or shapes) and lime.

Electric power and utilities.

Plants that burn coal provide much of the electric power in Wisconsin. Most of the remaining power comes from hydroelectric plants, nuclear plants, and plants that burn natural gas or petroleum. One of the first hydroelectric plants in the nation was built in Appleton on the Fox River in 1882.

Transportation.

Many of Wisconsin’s first settlers traveled by boat up the Mississippi River. Later settlers also arrived overland by wagon or via Lake Michigan by ship. Mississippi River traffic declined with the growth of railroads. Great Lakes transportation increased following the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1959.

The first railroad in Wisconsin began service in 1851. It ran between Milwaukee and Waukesha, a distance of about 20 miles (32 kilometers).

Milwaukee has Wisconsin’s busiest airport. Madison and Green Bay also have major airports.

Wisconsin has an extensive system of roads and highways. In 1917, Wisconsin became the first state to adopt the number system for highways. Other states soon adopted the system.

Wisconsin’s major ports are at Green Bay, Milwaukee, and Superior. Green Bay handles mostly U.S. cargo. International cargo passes mainly through Milwaukee. The city of Superior shares port facilities with Duluth, Minnesota. A canal at Sturgeon Bay links Green Bay and Lake Michigan. An automobile ferry operates between Manitowoc and Ludington, Michigan.

Communication.

Wisconsin’s first newspaper, the Green-Bay Intelligencer, was founded in 1833. Today, daily newspapers with the largest circulations include the Green Bay Press Gazette, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and the Wisconsin State Journal of Madison.

In 1853, the Wisconsin Press Association was founded. It was the nation’s first state news service. The association, now the Wisconsin Newspaper Association, collects and distributes news among member newspapers.

Government

Constitution.

Wisconsin is still governed under its original Constitution, adopted in 1848. An amendment to Wisconsin’s Constitution may be proposed in either house of the state Legislature. The amendment then must be approved by a majority of each house in two successive legislative sessions. Next, it must be ratified by a majority of the people who vote on the amendment in a statewide referendum. The Constitution may also be amended by a constitutional convention. A proposal to call such a convention must be approved by a majority of the Legislature. It must also be approved by a majority of the people voting on the proposal in a statewide referendum.

Executive.

The governor of Wisconsin holds office for a four-year term. The governor can serve an unlimited number of terms.

The lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, treasurer, and state superintendent of public instruction are elected to four-year terms. The governor of Wisconsin appoints the heads of most major agencies. He or she also chooses members of state boards and commissions.

Legislature

consists of a Senate of 33 members and an Assembly of 99 members. Voters in each of Wisconsin’s 33 senatorial districts elect one senator to a four-year term. One representative from each of 99 districts is elected to the Assembly to serve a two-year term.

Regular sessions of the Legislature begin in January of odd-numbered years. The Legislature meets for a two-year period. The governor may call a special session at any time during the period. There is no time limit on the legislative sessions. The governor may call special sessions of the Legislature. Such sessions also have no time limit.

Courts.

The highest court in Wisconsin is the state Supreme Court. It has seven justices. They are elected to 10-year terms. The seven justices vote on which judge will serve a two-year term as chief justice.

Other Wisconsin courts include four district appellate and numerous circuit courts. The people elect the judges of these courts to six-year terms. All Wisconsin judges are elected on nonpartisan ballots (ballots without political party labels). A number of local governments also have municipal courts.

Local government.

Wisconsin has 72 counties. A board of elected supervisors governs each county. The supervisors select one of their members as chairperson. Other elected county officials include the sheriff, clerk, treasurer, register of deeds, clerk of circuit court, and district attorney. Some Wisconsin counties elect a county executive.

Wisconsin law allows cities to operate under the mayor, manager, or commissioner form of government. A few cities have the manager form. But most of them have the mayor-council form of government. Elected boards of trustees govern Wisconsin’s villages. Elected town boards of supervisors govern its towns. Some Wisconsin towns use the town meeting form of government. Voters in these towns assemble to elect officials, approve budgets, and do other business. There are 11 Native American reservations in the state.

Revenue.

Taxes account for about half of the state government’s general revenue (income). Most of the rest of the general revenue comes from U.S. government grants and programs and state charges for goods and services. Revenue from taxes on motor vehicle fuels and motor vehicle licenses goes into special funds.

The individual income tax and the general sales tax account for much of the state’s total tax revenue. Other important sources of tax revenue include taxes on corporate income, public utilities, and tobacco products.

Politics.

The Democratic Party’s strength is centered in Milwaukee, Madison, and other urban areas. Republican strength lies mainly in rural and suburban areas.

Throughout most of its early history, Wisconsin favored the Republican Party. In fact, a meeting at a Ripon schoolhouse in 1854 contributed to the founding of the national party. The Democratic Party gained strength in the 1950’s. The Democrats were the majority party from the 1970’s through the 1980’s.

In presidential elections, Wisconsin has supported the Republican candidate more often than the Democratic candidate. In the 1924 presidential election, Wisconsin cast its votes for a native son, Senator Robert M. La Follette, Sr. He ran unsuccessfully as a Progressive.

History

Before European settlement.

The Winnebago, Dakota, and Menominee people lived in the Wisconsin region when the first white explorers came in the early 1600’s. These Native Americans were skilled craftworkers. They lived in lodges made of bark, saplings, and rushes. They fished and hunted. They also grew corn, beans, and squash. The Winnebago lived in the area between Green Bay and Lake Winnebago. The Dakota lived in the northwestern part of the region. The Menominee lived west and north of Green Bay. The Winnebago are now formally known as the Ho-Chunk Nation in Wisconsin.

Many other tribes moved into the Wisconsin area during the later 1600’s. Some had been driven from their eastern homes by white people. Others fled into the region to escape the warring Iroquois League. The Chippewa came from the northeast. They settled along the southern shore of Lake Superior. Other tribes came from the Michigan region. The Sauk settled west of Green Bay. The Fox made their homes along the Fox River. The Ottawa lived along the southern shore of Lake Superior. The Kickapoo settled in the south-central area. The Huron lived in the northwestern section. Bands of the Miami and Illinois tribes spread along the upper Fox River. The Potawatomi camped in what is now Door County.

Members of the Oneida, Stockbridge-Munsee, and Brothertown tribes moved from the eastern United States to Wisconsin in the 1820’s and 1830’s.

European exploration and settlement.

In 1634, the French explorer Jean Nicolet probably became the first white person in the Wisconsin area. He landed on the shore of Green Bay on a mission of exploration and diplomacy. Nicolet hoped to bring peace between the Huron and the Winnebago. He came ashore wearing a colorful robe and firing two pistols. After meeting with the Winnebago, Nicolet returned to New France (Quebec) and reported what he had seen.

About 25 years later, Pierre Esprit Radisson and Médard Chouart, Sieur des Groseilliers, explored the Wisconsin area. They were searching for furs. The first missionary to Wisconsin’s native people, René Ménard, arrived about 1660. He established a Roman Catholic mission near present-day Ashland. Claude Jean Allouez came to Wisconsin about 1665. He set up several missions. With the help of Louis André, he established a center for missionary work on the site of present-day De Pere. Other French explorers and missionaries who visited the area included Louis Jolliet, Jacques Marquette, and René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle.

Struggle for control.

From the time of Nicolet’s visit, the French had friendly relations with most of the Wisconsin tribes. But in 1712, a long war broke out between the French and the Fox tribe. Both the French and the Fox wanted control of the Fox and Wisconsin rivers, the region’s chief water route. After many bloody battles, the French finally defeated the Fox in 1740. But the long war had weakened France’s defenses in the region. France also lost the friendship of many former Native American allies.

In 1754, the French and Indian War began. This war was fought between Britain (now also called the United Kingdom) and France over rival claims in America. Britain won the war. Under the terms of the 1763 Treaty of Paris, France lost almost all its possessions east of the Mississippi River. France also lost nearly all its territory in Canada. Control of the Wisconsin region thus passed to the British. See French and Indian wars (The French and Indian War).

British fur traders took over the fur-trading posts of the French. In 1774, the British passed the Quebec Act. Under this act, Wisconsin became part of the province of Quebec. The Quebec Act was one of the causes of the revolt by the American colonies against Britain in 1775 (see Quebec Act). The 1783 Treaty of Paris ended the American Revolution. Under the treaty, Britain gave up all its territory east of the Mississippi and south of the Great Lakes. The Wisconsin region then became part of the United States.

Territorial days.

Wisconsin formed part of the Indiana Territory from 1800 to 1809. It was part of the Illinois Territory from 1809 to 1818. Wisconsin was part of the Michigan Territory from 1818 to 1836. Settlement of southwestern Wisconsin began during the 1820’s. This region had rich deposits of lead ore. In the 1820’s, the demand for lead for use in making paint and shot rose sharply. Lead miners from nearby states and territories poured into the region. The population boomed. Some of the miners lived in shelters that they dug out of the hillsides. These miners were nicknamed Badgers. In time, that became the nickname of all Wisconsinites.

Native Americans made their last stand in Wisconsin against white people in the Black Hawk War of 1832. The Sauk people of northwestern Illinois had been pushed across the Mississippi River into Iowa by the arrival of white settlers. Black Hawk, a Sauk leader, wanted to return to his homeland and grow corn. In April 1832, he led a thousand followers back across the Mississippi. The white settlers panicked. Volunteer militia and regular troops were called out. Black Hawk’s followers retreated into Wisconsin. Several fierce battles were fought. When the war ended in August, only about 150 followers were left. See Black Hawk.

On April 20, 1836, Congress created the Wisconsin Territory. The territorial legislature met temporarily in Belmont and later in Burlington (now in Iowa). The first meeting in Madison, the capital of the territory and later of the state, took place in 1838. The Wisconsin Territory included parts of present-day Minnesota, Iowa, and North and South Dakota. President Andrew Jackson appointed Henry Dodge as the first territorial governor. Congress created the Iowa Territory in 1838. Wisconsin’s western boundary then became the Mississippi River. The boundary extended northward to Lake of the Woods in Minnesota. About a third of the present state of Minnesota remained part of Wisconsin until 1848.

Statehood.

Wisconsin joined the Union as the 30th state on May 29, 1848. Its boundaries were set as they are today. The people had already approved a constitution. They elected Nelson Dewey, a Democrat, as the first governor. In 1840, 30,945 white people lived in Wisconsin. By 1850, the population had soared to 305,391. Newcomers came from other parts of the United States and from other countries. All saw opportunities for a better life in frontier Wisconsin.

In 1854, many Wisconsin citizens opposed the Kansas-Nebraska Bill. It allowed the new territories of Kansas and Nebraska to decide for themselves whether they would permit slavery. Slavery previously had been barred from those lands by the Missouri Compromise. Most Wisconsinites opposed the extension of slavery into new territories. A group of “anti-Nebraska” residents held a protest meeting in Ripon in February 1854. This meeting was a key event in the formation of the Republican Party. See Kansas-Nebraska Act.

The Republican Party became powerful in the North. Wisconsin’s first Republican governor, Coles Bashford, took office in 1856. For the next hundred years, except for brief periods, the Republicans controlled the state government.

During the American Civil War (1861-1865), Wisconsin generals at various times commanded the Iron Brigade. The brigade was one of the Union Army’s outstanding fighting groups. The brigade consisted largely of Wisconsin regiments.

In 1871, Wisconsin was struck by the worst natural disaster in its history—the great Peshtigo forest fire. The summer and fall of 1871 were extremely dry. Many small fires broke out in northeastern Wisconsin. Then, on the night of October 8, northeastern Wisconsin erupted in flame. The fire wiped out the town of Peshtigo and several villages. The fire also spread into Michigan. About 1,200 people were killed. The fatalities amounted to 900 more than the number of people killed in the Great Chicago Fire, which occurred that same night. The fire destroyed more than $5 million worth of property.

The Progressive Era.

During the 1890’s, a split developed in the Republican Party in Wisconsin. The party at that time was controlled by political bosses representing lumber and railroad interests. Robert M. La Follette, Sr., a Madison lawyer and former U.S. congressman, began to lead a movement to overthrow the rule by bosses.

La Follette won the Wisconsin governorship in 1900. He was reelected in 1902 and 1904. Under “Fighting Bob,” the state made important social, political, and economic reforms. La Follette’s program was called Progressivism. La Follette set up a “brain trust” of University of Wisconsin professors and experts on government to advise him on state problems. The brain trust was part of the “Wisconsin Idea.” This was the theory that the state should be served by its best minds and its best experts in legislation and administration. Measures adopted under La Follette included regulation of railroad rates and service, and a direct primary law (see Primary election). He also enacted an inheritance tax and a railroad property tax. La Follette entered the U.S. Senate in 1906 and served there until 1925. See La Follette (Robert Marion La Follette, Sr.).

In 1911, the Wisconsin Legislature passed the Workmen’s Compensation Act to protect workers injured in accidents. That same year, the Legislature established the Wisconsin Industrial Commission to enforce industrial safety codes. Both measures were inspired by Professor John R. Commons of the University of Wisconsin. Other progressive reforms approved by the 1911 Legislature included a state income tax law, the state life insurance fund, and forest and waterpower conservation laws.

The La Follette Progressives.

In 1924, La Follette ran for president as the Progressive Party candidate. President Calvin Coolidge, a Republican, won the election. La Follette received the electoral votes of only one state—Wisconsin. But he got almost 5 million popular votes. La Follette died in 1925. His eldest son, Robert, Jr., was elected to fill his Senate seat.

In 1930, Philip F. La Follette was elected governor. He was the youngest son of Robert M. La Follette, Sr. Philip La Follette, a Republican, lost the governorship in 1932. But he was reelected in 1934 and 1936 as a Progressive. Much of the legislation enacted under La Follette sought to relieve the Great Depression of the 1930’s. In 1932, under his administration, the first state unemployment-compensation act was passed.

In the spring of 1938, La Follette tried to organize a new national third party, the National Progressives of America. But he won little support. The voters rejected La Follette in 1938. They elected Julius P. Heil, a Republican, as governor. Heil worked to cut government costs. He did away with many agencies that La Follette had set up. Heil was reelected in 1940.

Changes in agriculture.

After World War II (1939-1945), Wisconsin agriculture, long the state’s top-ranking industry, began to decline in importance. At the same time, the importance of manufacturing increased. Beef imports from other countries, in addition to low milk prices, hurt agriculture in the state. Changes in the American diet, with emphasis on low-calorie foods, lowered the demand for dairy products. Between 1951 and 1969, the number of Wisconsin dairy farms fell from about 132,000 to 63,000. Cheese factories, creameries, and other processing plants closed. Many small farms merged. The use of farm machinery increased. All these changes reduced the need for farmworkers in Wisconsin. The population began to shift from farms to cities.

Decline of La Follette Progressivism.

By the mid-1940’s, La Follette Progressivism had lost its strength. After 21 years in the U.S. Senate, Robert M. La Follette, Jr., lost the 1946 primary election to Republican Joseph R. McCarthy. McCarthy won election to the Senate that year. He later became one of the most controversial figures in American politics. Most of the controversy stemmed from his unsupported charges that Communists dominated the U.S. Department of State.

In 1958, after 26 years of Republican or Progressive control of the state government, Democrat Gaylord A. Nelson won the governorship. He was reelected in 1960. In 1962, Wisconsin voters elected another Democratic governor, John W. Reynolds.

Political conflict.

During the 1960’s, Governors Nelson and Reynolds battled with the Republican-controlled Legislature over reapportionment (redivision) of the state’s legislative and congressional districts. The Wisconsin Constitution requires that the districts be redrawn every 10 years, if necessary, to provide fair representation. Both Nelson and Reynolds vetoed reapportionment bills passed by the Legislature. They said the bills did not make the districts equal in terms of population. In 1963, the Legislature passed a bill that reapportioned the state’s 10 congressional districts. Reynolds signed this bill. But he and the Legislature could not agree on a bill for the legislative districts. Finally, in 1964, the Wisconsin Supreme Court drew up a reapportionment plan. This was the first time any state supreme court had reapportioned a state legislature. The court’s plan went into effect with the 1964 elections.

Tax increases.

The need for money for education, public welfare, and other programs resulted in state tax increases during the 1960’s. The state Legislature also passed a law, in 1961, that established the first sales tax in Wisconsin’s history. In 1963, the Legislature increased the number of items covered by the sales tax.

University expansion.

In the mid-1900’s, Wisconsin expanded its educational facilities. Between 1956 and 1970, the University of Wisconsin opened 15 new branches throughout the state.

Officials of the University of Wisconsin tightened their control over student activities in the 1970’s. In 1969, following student disorders on the Madison campus, the state Legislature passed laws to control such disturbances. These laws established fines and imprisonment for campus misconduct. In 1971, the state Legislature merged the University of Wisconsin and Wisconsin State Universities to form a state university system called the University of Wisconsin System.

The economy.

In 1987, Wisconsin adopted a state lottery as a means of increasing government revenues. As the 1900’s ended, manufacturing, with the help of the Wisconsin Department of Development, remained strong in the state. Agriculture remained vital to the economy. Although dairying still provided the most agricultural income, income from crops was increasing. However, farms in Wisconsin continued to decrease in number and increase in size.

The state was concerned with problems related to agriculture, such as the debt of its farmers. Wisconsin also faced a number of other challenges. These problems included increasing costs for education, welfare, control of water pollution, and the purchase of land for recreational purposes.

School vouchers.

In 1990, under the leadership of Republican Governor Tommy G. Thompson, Wisconsin became the first state in the nation to adopt a school voucher program. In such a program, low-income families receive a coupon called a voucher that they can use for tuition. The Wisconsin program operated in Milwaukee. It included public schools and nonreligious private schools. In 1995, the state expanded the program to allow vouchers at some religious schools in Milwaukee. Critics argued that such voucher use was unconstitutional because it was state funding of religious activities.

In 1998, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that the inclusion of religious schools in the voucher program did not violate either the U.S. Constitution or the Wisconsin Constitution. The court stated that the program’s purpose was to offer a wide choice of schools, not to promote religion. The court pointed out that the government did not fund religious schools directly. Instead, it gave vouchers to parents, who made their own choices.

Recent developments.

A huge political battle took place in Wisconsin in 2011. In February, 14 Democratic state senators fled the state to block the passage of a bill that would strip government workers of their rights to collective bargaining. During collective bargaining, a union negotiates with an employer on behalf of all its members about such issues as wages, hours, benefits, and working conditions. The 14 Democrats crossed the state line into Illinois so that the state Senate would be denied a quorum—the minimum number of senators needed to vote on a measure. Republicans, who controlled both houses of the state Legislature, said the bill was necessary to rein in the state’s budget deficit. Democrats called it an attack on unions. Thousands of firefighters, nurses, teachers, and other government workers took part in demonstrations to protest the threat to their collective bargaining rights.

In March, the bill was passed by the state legislature and signed by Governor Scott Walker, a Republican. Later that month, however, a Wisconsin judge blocked the measure from taking effect. In May, the judge permanently blocked the law. In June, however, the state Supreme Court allowed the law to take effect.

In January 2012, opponents of Governor Walker submitted petitions with enough signatures to force a recall election later that year. Democrats and union groups allied with them also submitted petitions to trigger a recall election of Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch. Walker and Kleefisch defeated their Democratic opponents in the June recall elections. Walker was reelected in 2014. In 2018, Walker lost a reelection campaign to Democrat Tony Evers, the state schools superintendent. Evers won reelection in 2022.