WISCONSIN

Badger State

Origin of state's name: Based on an Indian word "Ouisconsin" believed to mean "grassy place" in the Cheppewa tongue

Starting at the top of a shield on a dark blue field is the state motto "Forward". Below it is a badger the state animal. A sailor and miner show that the people work on water and land. The shield in the center shows Wisconsin's support for the United States. In four sections surrounding the shield are representations of the states main industries: Agriculture, mining, manufacturing and navigation. The cornicopia and pile of lead represent farm products and minerals. The flag law was amended in 1979 to include the name of the state and the date of statehood.

Entered Union: May 29, 1848; 30th State
Capital: Madison
Motto: Forward
Flower: Wood violet
Bird: Robin
Tree: Sugar maple
Song: On, Wisconsin!

A LITTLE HISTORY
Jean Nicolet was the first European to see the Wisconsin area, arriving in Green Bay in 1634; French missionaries and fur traders followed. The British took over in 1763. The U.S. won the land after the American Revolution, but the British were not ousted until after the War of 1812. Lead miners came next, then farmers. Railroads were started in 1851, serving growing wheat harvests and iron mines.

FACTS AND TRIVIA ABOUT WISCONSIN
Along with the better known state symbols, Wisconsin also has official wild and domestic animals: White-tailed deer and Dairy cow; official beverage: milk; and an official dog: the American water spaniel.

Wisconsin ranks number one in # of milk cows (1,500,000) and produces over 15% of the entire country's milk.

Wisconsin has over 14,000 lakes, with Lake Winnebago the largest. It also has 7,446 streams and rivers, which if you stuck them end to end they'd stretch nearly 27,000 miles--enough to circle the whole planet.

Milwaukee's Summerfest is the nation's largest music festival, with over 2,500 performers.

Wisconsin is known as the Badger State after the living habits of early miners in the region who either lived in mine shafts or dug their homes out of the sides of hills--just like Badgers do.

Nearly 21 million gallons of ice cream are consumed by Wisconsinites each year.

Wisconsin is a leading producer of Ginseng in the U.S.

Green Bay is known as the "Toilet Paper Capital" of the world.

The first ice cream sundae was concocted in Two Rivers in 1881.

The Fox River is one of the few rivers in the nation that flows north.

Practically all the natural lakes in Wisconsin have resulted from glaciers.

According to Wisconsin yarns, Wisconsin contains more ghosts per square mile than any other state in the nation.

Visit Olde Salem Candle Today

American Birkebeiner, the largest cross country ski race in the U.S., brings upwards of 5,000 competitors to Cable.

The largest experimental aviation event in the world is the EAA Fly-In at Oshkosh.

Sun Prairie's sweet corn festival is one of the largest of its kind in the nation.

It takes an average of 100 hours of fishing to catch a 33.4 inch muskie.

The first circus in the U.S. was in Delavan, Wisconsin.

Sheboygan is the "Bratwurst Capitol" of the world.

More than 800,000 deer roam Wisconsin's woods.

Almost 1/3 of all Americans live within a 500 mile radius of Wisconsin.

Door County has more shoreline than any other county in the U.S.--over 250 miles.

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