Wisconsin is our 30th state, having joined the Union in 1848. This Upper Midwest state lies in the Great Lakes region, bordering Lake Michigan and Lake Superior.

During the 19th and early 20th centuries, many immigrants arrived in Wisconsin, mostly from Germany and Scandinavian countries. Wisconsinites still enjoy foods such as bratwurst and kringle, a sweet pastry, that are part of these cultures.

Early peoples

When Europeans arrived, they found people of the Ojibwe, Sauk, Meskwaki, Kickapoo and Potawatomi tribes.

French explorer Jean Nicolet is thought to have arrived near Green Bay after canoeing through the Great Lakes in 1634. Other French explorers came to the area to trade furs.

The region was controlled by the British until 1783, when it became a territory of the United States.

Wisconsin today

Wisconsin is home to almost 6 million people. It is sometimes called the Badger State.

The capital, Madison, is the state’s second largest city. Milwaukee is the largest.

Wisconsin business

Agriculture and lumber became important industries in the 1800s, and later, many farmers growing crops switched to dairy production.

Cheese-making helped the state become known as America’s Dairyland. In cities, workers brewed beer and made tools and heavy machinery.

Today, agriculture and manufacturing are still important to the state’s economy, along with tourism. Wisconsin is a major supplier of paper and packaging products.

Fun in Wisconsin

People in Wisconsin enjoy outdoor sports during the winter, including snowmobiling, skiing, ice fishing and hunting.

Outdoor music festivals entertain people during the summer months.

Green Bay is home to the Packers, an NFL team that’s been in the league since 1921.

The Milwaukee Bucks play in the NBA, and the Milwaukee Brewers play Major League Baseball. Hockey and soccer teams also draw many fans.

The University of Wisconsin and many other colleges offer educational opportunities to hundreds of thousands of students.

Wisconsin Fact-a-Roonies

• In 1884, five brothers started a circus in Baraboo, Wisconsin. The Ringling Brothers Circus became one of the biggest traveling shows in the nation. Today, the Circus World Museum, with a steam calliope and circus acts, is in Baraboo. The Ringling Brothers came from there and wintered their circus there.

• The ice cream sundae was invented in Two Rivers in 1881. Every year, Wisconsinites eat 43 million gallons of ice cream.

• The first kindergarten in the U.S. was in Watertown in 1856.

• The snowmobile was invented in Wisconsin. Skiing, ice skating and sleighing add to the winter fun.

• Yodeling competitions are part of the rich heritage residents have brought from lands such as Germany and Switzerland.

• World-famous magician and escape artist Harry Houdini spent part of his childhood in Appleton, Wisconsin.

Resources On the Web: • bit.ly/MPWisconsin At the library: • “Faye and the Dangerous Journey” by Kim Sigafus

Mini Fact: Underwater caves line the shores of Lake Superior in Wisconsin.