WISCONSIN

______________________________________________________

Vital Statistics

State Capitol: Madison
Population: 5,363,675
Largest City: Milwaukee-596,964 (2000 census)
Land Area: 35.7 million acres
Water Area: 1 million acres
Number of Lakes: 15,057 (6,022 are named)
Length: 320 miles
Width: 295 miles
Largest Inland Lake: Lake Winnebago (137,708 acres)
State Parks: 60,570 acres
State Forests: 471,329 acres
Highest Elevations: Timm's Hill (Price Co.) 1,951.5 feet
Average Rainfall: 32.5 inches
Average Snowfall: 45 inches

BASIC BACKGROUND

Various Indian tribes first inhabited the area known as Wisconsin. The Chippewa, Menominee, Oneida, Potawatomi and Ho Chunk tribes lived in the area undisturbed until the late 1800s.

The first European explorer to reach Wisconsin was Jean Nicolet; searching for the Northwest Passage to China, he traversed Lake Michigan, landing near Green Bay in 1634. He thought he was going to be landing in the far East by China.  Instead, he found what is now Wisconsin.

France laid claim to Wisconsin as part of its territory in the New World in 1672. In 1763, Wisconsin was part of the territory given by France to Great Britain in the Treaty of Paris. Twenty years later, again at Paris, the British relinquished their claim to Wisconsin; and it became a part of the United States.

In 1787, under the Northwest Ordinance, Wisconsin became part of the great territory north and west of the Ohio River out of which Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin were later created.

In 1836, the Wisconsin territory was organized, including what are now the states of Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota and parts of the Dakotas. The first territorial legislature met at Belmont about 5.5 miles northeast of Platteville. The two-story frame building and grounds surrounding the first Capitol are now a state park.

In 1848, Wisconsin became the 30th state to be accepted into the Union. The present Capitol building in Madison was erected between 1906 and 1917 and is the third on this site.  

Our Geography

Wisconsin is 26th in area among the 50 states. The total land area of the state is 56,154 square miles, which includes 1,439 square miles of inland water. The state is bounded on the north by Lake Superior and Michigan's Upper Peninsula, on the east by Lake Michigan, on the south by Illinois and on the west by Minnesota and Iowa (the Mississippi River forms most of this boundary). Ten thousand years ago, the last of the great Continental Glaciers receded from Wisconsin leaving the land poked with 15,000 lakes amid low, rolling hills. That glacier, however, missed about 15,000 square miles in southwestern Wisconsin, known today as the unglaciated area.

Our Agriculture

Wisconsin ranks as one of the nation's leading agricultural states with more than 5.5 billion dollars in farm product sales per year. Know the world over as "America's Dairyland," Wisconsin's 1.36 million dairy cows produce a year's supply of milk for nearly 42 million people, butter for 68 million, and cheese for 86 million. Wisconsin is a national leader in butter, cheese and milk production. Wisconsin's farmers help fill the nation's dinner tables in many ways. They are among the top 5 producers of snap beans, green peas and sweet corn for processing. Wisconsin leads the nation in corn grown for silage and is third in the nation for carrots and potatoes. Wisconsin's cranberry bogs produce about 50% of the nation's crop. Soil conservation, wise use of the land, improved breeding of livestock and a willingness to try new ideas has made Wisconsin a continuing leader in agricultural production.

Our Business

Manufacturing, agriculture and tourism lead Wisconsin's diverse economy. The state boasts a good business climate and an excellent quality of life. While Wisconsin is an agricultural leader, it is also among the top fifteen states in industrial production. Today the state leads the nation in the production of low horsepower gasoline engines, power cranes, shovel hoists, mining machinery, industrial controls and x-ray equipment. A wide variety of wood products come out of the state's 15 million acres of forests, including pulp logs for Wisconsin's extensive paper-making industry. For one hundred years, Wisconsin's forest and water resources have made it the top vacation destination in the Midwest, generating $10 billion in economic impact.

Our Education

Wisconsin is noted for the quality of its public education system. Wisconsin's public schools and university systems were established in the 1850's. Wisconsin was the first state in American to open a kindergarten in Watertown, Wisconsin in 1856. On national tests, Wisconsin's 432 school districts consistently score higher than the national average and higher than the average of other Midwestern states. The University of Wisconsin System consists of thirteen four-year campuses, thirteen two-year centers, and the UW-Extension system. Currently, nearly 160,000 students are enrolled in the state's university system. Wisconsin's Vocational, Technical and Adult Education system, comprised of 16 districts, trains and upgrades the skills of 450,000 Wisconsin citizens annually.

WISCONSIN FUN FACTS:

In 1915, the University of Wisconsin's experimental radio station, 9XM (now WHA, the nation's oldest radio station), began transmitting signals.

In 1901, two University of Wisconsin mechanical engineering students, Charles W. Hart and Charles H. Parr, built the first successful gasoline-powered farm tractor.

In 1911, the JI Case Company of Racine produced the first gasoline-powered tractor.  Today, this company uses Old Abe on its company logo.

The deadliest fire in the history of the United States happened in Peshtigo on October 8, 1871.  No one was sure how it started but when it was over more than 1,000 people had been killed.  It was the same day as the famous Chicago fire, but Peshtigo had no telegraph line to let people know about the fire.

The largest Music Festival in the world (Summerfest) is held every summer in Milwaukee.

Wisconsin has had the highest ACT (college entrance exam) scores in the Nation since 1995.

To balance that stat, The Princeton Review and several other publications have ranked The University of Madison the number one "Party School" for many years running.

Per population, Wisconsin has more bars and taverns per square mile than any other place in the world.

In 1986, William Rehnquist became the Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court.  He was born in Milwaukee in 1924.

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

Green Bay, (home of the Packers) is known as "Titletown USA."

Two Wisconsin communities, Belleville and Elmwood claim to be the UFO Capitol of the World.

The American Birkebeiner, the largest cross-country ski race in the U.S., brings nearly 7,000 competitors to Cable.

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

Each year, the EAA Fly-In brings 12,000 planes to Oshkosh, making it the busiest airport in the world.

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

The Ringling Bros were from Baraboo and wintered their world-famous circus there each winter.

Noah's Ark in Wisconsin Dells is the world's largest water-park with 65 acres of splish-splash fun.

More than 1.5 million deer roam Wisconsin's woods.

Seymour claims to be the birthplace of the hamburger.

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

In 1921, Wisconsin passed the first law eliminating all legal discrimination against women.

 

 

 

 Milwaukee Movie Theaters 

 

The first motion pictures were shown in Milwaukee in 1896

The Downer Theater, opened in 1915, is Milwaukee's oldest continuously operating theater

The X-rated Princess Theater on 3rd Street was actually opened in 1904 as the Grand

Milwaukee first shopping center theater was the Southgate

The Oriental opened in 1927 at a cost of $1.5 million

Ben Marcus bought his first Milwaukee theater, the Tosa, in 1940

The Avalon on S. Kinnickinnic Avenue was the first Milwaukee theater equipped for talking pictures.

FAMOUS WISCONSINITES

Chief Justice William Rehnquist, We mourne him and our prayers go out to his family.

Frank Lloyd Wright, arguably the world's greatest architect, was born and raised in Wisconsin.
Harry Houdini, the famous magician, was raised in Appleton.
Thornton Wilder, Pulitzer prize winning author, was born in Madison.
The Ringling Brothers (Alf, Al, Charles, Otto and John) of Baraboo founded the "Greatest Show on Earth."
Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of the "Little House" books, was born in Pepin.
Aldo Leopold, famous conservationist, was a professor at UW-Madison.
Georgia O'Keefe, of Sun Prairie, is recognized as one of the leading artists of the twentieth century.
Golda Meir, Prime Minister of Israel from 1969-74, was raised in Milwaukee.
Owen Gromme, the "Dean of American Wildlife Artists," lived in Wisconsin all his life.
General Billy Mitchell, who revolutionized aerial warfare in two world wars, was raised in Milwaukee.
Alan "The Horse" Ameche, 1954 Heisman winner was a 1955 graduate of the University of Wisconsin.

OTHERS: Willem Dafoe, Don Ameche, Orson Wells, Bonnie Blair, Eric Heiden, Spencer Tracy, Bob Uecker, Liberace............and more

Chris Farley

•  Yeah I know, but I hold him dear as do many Wisconsinites.  He was willing to let it all fly for a laugh. He was a great example of the Wisconsin jester.  Despite his personal depression, (which anyone would have living in Chicago!), he is revered by a generation as a great Cheesehead and a tragic loss.

 

 So many things stand out in Wisconsin.  Great forests, beautiful marsh lands, crystal blue fresh water lakes, the Great Lakes, the rivers and the rolling hills all give Wisconsin some of it's aesthetic charm.  Add the personalities and the richness of the way of life in Wisconsin and you have a combination that builds upon the loyalty Wisconsinites are known for.

Many of the cities, towns, and counties are named after Indians.  It is easy for us to spot the visitors when they attempt to pronounce Oconomowoc or Chenequa. 

THIS MAP IS A BIT OVER DRAMATIZED. THE NORTHERN PORTION OF WISCONSIN (North of Wausau) IS VERY DESOLATE AND THE HIGHWAYS ARE NOT AS BEEFY AS THE SOUTHERN PORTION.  NONE THE LESS, IT IS FAIRLY ACCESSIBLE AND THE ONLY TRAFFIC JAMS ARE CAUSED BY FARM TRACTORS & FIBS!