locater map
 
William H. Rehnquist
“But the greatest injury of the 'wall' notion is its mischievous diversion of judges from the actual intentions of the drafters of the Bill of Rights ... The "wall of separation between church and state" is a metaphor based on bad history, a metaphor which has proved useless as a guide to judging. It should be frankly and explicitly abandoned.”
Supreme Court
 
Douglas MacArthur
"It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it. "
WWII General
 
William H. Rehnquist
“It is truly surprising that the state must assign a greater value to a mother's decision to cut off a potential human life by abortion than to a father's decision to let it mature into a live child.”
Supreme Court
 
Harry S. Truman
"We believe that all men are created equal because they are created in the image of God."
President
 
Abraham Lincoln
"With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds."
President
 
Theodore Roosevelt

"The first requisite of a good citizen in this republic of ours is that he shall be able and willing to pull his own weight."

President

Wisconsin

Entered the Union: May 29, 1848 (30) Capital: Madison
Origin of Name: From the Cheppewa Indian word "Ouisconsin" believed to mean "river that meanders through something red."
State Nickname: Badger State State Motto: Forward
State Tree:Sugar Maple State Flower: Wood Violet
State Dog: American Water Spaniel State Bird: Robin
State Wildlife Animal: White-tailed Deer State Animal: Badger
State Domestic Animal: Dairy Cow State Fish: Muskellunge
State Insect: Honey Bee State Grain: Corn
State Beverage: Milk State Rock: Red Granite
State Symbol of Peace: Mourning Dove State Mineral: Galena
State Song “On Wisconsin" State Dance: Polka
National Forests: 2 • State Forests: 13 • State Parks: 46 • Recreation Areas: 11
Famous For: 14,000 Lakes, Milwaukee Music Festival, House on the Rock, Snowmobiling
Famous Wisconsonites: Richard Bong (WWII Flying Ace), Seymour Cray (Developed the super-computer), Eric Heiden (skater), Woody Herman (band leader), Harry Houdini (magician), William D. Leahy (admiral), Liberace (pianist), Douglas MacArthur (WWII General), Don Ameche, Pat O'Brien, Spencer Tracy, Gene Wilder (actors), William H. Rehnquist (US Supreme Court), Tom Snyder (newscaster), Orson Welles (actor, producer), Laura Ingalls Wilder (Author of the Little House books), Frank Lloyd Wright (architect)
Animals and Birds: Click on photos of the animals and birds on this page to find out more about them and to hear the sounds they make.
State Fair: West Allis
prairie chicken
Wisconsin State Forests
Wisconsin Historic Sites
Wisconsin Attractions
Green Bay Packers (NFL)
Milwaukee Brewers (MLB)
Milwaukee Bucks (NBA)
Fishing in Wisconsin
Hunting in Wisconsin
Wisconsin Homeschooling
Wisconsin Photo Gallery 2
Wisconsin Butterfly Gallery 2
Wisconsin Resorts
Wisconsin RV Parks
Wisconsin Hotels & Reviews
The Winnebago, Menominee, and Dakota Indians lived in Wisconsin when the first French explorer arrived in 1634.
French explorer, Jean Nicolet, landed at Green Bay in 1634. In 1660 a French trading post and Catholic mission were established near present-day Ashland.
Great Britain obtained the region in settlement of the French and Indian Wars in 1763; the U.S. acquired it in 1783 after the Revolutionary War. However, Great Britain retained actual control until after the War of 1812.
In 1854, Congress passed the Kansas-Nebraska Act. This act allowed settlers of the two states to decide the question of slavery in their state. Many Wisconsinites opposed slavery and held a meeting to protest the possibility of slavery within the new states. This meeting in Ripon, led to the foundation of the Republican Party.
Wisconsin is known as the Badger State after the 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.
Wisconsin is the dairy capital of the United States and is sometimes called "America's Dairyland." It has more dairy cows than any other state (1,500,000), produces more milk than any other state -- and 15% of the entire country's milk.
Wisconsin has over 14,000 lakes and 7,446 streams and rivers.
Milwaukee's Summerfest is the nation's largest music festival, with over 2,500 performers.
Milwaukee is home of Harley Davidson Motorcycles.
Door County has five state parks and 250 miles of shoreline along Lake Michigan.
In 1882 the first hydroelectric plant in the United States was built at Fox River.
The first practical typewriter was designed in Milwaukee in 1867.
Wausau is the Ginseng Capital of the World.
The American Birkebeiner, a 52K cross-country ski race between Cable and Hayward, is the largest on the North American continent.
Wisconsin snowmobile trails total 15,210 miles of signed and groomed snow highways. Eagle River is known as the Snowmobile Capital of the World.
Noah's Ark in Wisconsin Dells is the nation's largest water-themed park.
The nation's first kindergarten was established in Watertown in 1856. Its first students were local German-speaking youngsters.
The original Barbie is from Willows. Barbie's full name is Barbie Millicent Roberts.
The first Ringling Brothers Circus was staged in Baraboo in 1884.
Monroe is the Swiss Cheese Capital of the World.
With an average of 2,500 performers, Milwaukee's Summerfest is the nation's largest music festival.
Two Rivers is the home of the ice cream sundae.
The Republican Party was founded in Ripon in 1854.
Wisconsin's ethnic roots: German 42.6%, Irish 10.9%, Polish 9.3%, Norwegian 8.5%, English 6.5%
Wisconsin, with many cultural remnants of its heavy German settlement, is known as the most "German-American" state.
Religion in Wisconsin: (85%) Christian (Protestant 55%, Catholic 29%) No Religion (14%)
Designed and built in the early 1940s, the House on the Rock is considered an architectural marvel and is perched on a 60-foot chimney of rock. The 14-room house is now a complex of rooms, streets, buildings, and gardens covering over 200 acres. The Infinity Room contains 3,264 windows.
Thanksgiving Day
Thanksgiving - Thanking God for His blessings
Thanksgiving Day November 28, 2024
In 1621, 52 Pilgrims and approx. 50 Native Americans celebrated a 3-day feast thanking God for His blessings enabling their survival in the New World. Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the 4th Thursday of November.
Advent
Advent
December 1, 2024
Advent begins 4 weeks before Christmas and remembers the longing and waiting of God's people for the coming of the Messiah.
Bill of Rights Day

Bill of Rights Day

December 15, 1791
Bill of Rights Day

Celebrating the 10 amendments to the Constitution which protect individual rights by placing specific limits on government power. These freedoms do not exist in many countries of the world.
Christmas Day
Christmas Day
December 25th Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World. This joyous festival is enjoyed by Christians and nonChristians alike all over the world.