Wisconsin - the 30th State

Jean Nicolet, a native of France, was the first explorer to reach the area while searching for the Northwest Passage to China in 1634. The French lost possession of Wisconsin and all of it's territories east of the Mississippi to Great Britain during the French and Indian War.

British possession of Wisconsin ended in 1783, when Britain signed the treaty ending the American Revolution. Because the U.S. government had no effective control over Wisconsin, it remained under unofficial British control. Fur trade continued as the foundation of Wisconsin's economy.

The first wave of American settlers in Wisconsin came in the 1820's as a result of a lead mining boom in northwest Illinois and southwest Wisconsin. The movement of white settlers into the Midwest caused intense conflict when the federal government and settlers attempted to move Native Americans from their lands. Federal policies included uprooting entire tribes and forcing them to resettle west of the Mississippi. When the Sac people tried to return in 1832, the Black Hawk War started ending in the Bad Axe Massacre with less than 1000 Native Americans surviving. Other Wisconsin tribes either left the area, or negotiated reservation lands.

I met my husband in my home town in Washington State. He was a Marine stationed on base. We married when I was 19. After he got out of the service we moved to his home town of Green Bay, Wisconsin. We have been here ever since.

Not being part of the Midwest, I quickly discovered that there is a bar on every corner. And everyone in the bar is a football fan (Green Bay Packers). If you are not a participant in the two main activities, then you are an outsider from another state.

I soon learned the quirkiness of Wisconsinites. (People from all over the world have their own unique quirkiness.) When I first came to Wisconsin I noticed (mainly the elderly) had a language all of their own. Example: "yous guys" "kitchen zink" and "the tree of us." Now days, I will occasionally hear someone say, "What about yous guys?"

Hollywood has poked fun of Midwestern people unfairly. Everyone knows that Hollywood fictionalizes everything, though maybe not for those "Yoopers" living in Michigan.

I once seen a made for TV movie with one of the original "Charles Angels" hiding from her abusive husband. (If anyone knows the name of this, let me know.) She was sitting in a restaurant, which was in the middle of town, looking out of the window. All the men were walking in their hunter orange outfits with shot guns in their hands. A waitress leaned over to her and said (may not be the exact wording), "Don't worry dear. This is Wisconsin. It is hunting season."

Those who wear those stupid looking floppy winter hats and "cheese heads" are mainly tour-asses. OK, there are some from here that actually do wear them. And may I add, "You look marvelous!"

Wisconsinites have changed since I first came here. The three main activities now are drinking, football and gambling.

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 cornucopia 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.