ENCYCLOPÆDIA Britannica DISCOVER AMERICA Wisconsin The Badger State CHICAGO LONDON NEW DELHI PARIS SEOUL SYDNEY TAIPEI TOKYO
4 WISCONSIN INTRODUCTION Located in the area of the United States known as the Midwest Wisconsin has long been noted for its dairy industry and natural beauty The slogan on the state’s license plates America’s Dairyland displays Wisconsin’s pride in its strong dairy industry Since the mid-1800s the state has been a leading producer of most milk products especially cheese During the last Ice Age most of Wisconsin was covered by giant glaciers As the ice sheets melted they carved out one of the nation’s most scenic states In addition to numerous lakes and rivers Wisconsin features rolling hills and fertile valleys There are also abundant forests especially in the north The state of Wisconsin is home to more than 1 million cows which produce approximately 2 5 billion gallons of milk every year Dairy farms abound in Wisconsin Wisconsin entered the Union on May 29 1848 as the 30th state Wisconsin is nicknamed the Badger State Early miners in the state often dug homes out of hillsides like badgers The state motto is Forward The state song is On Wisconsin with music by William T Purdy and lyrics by J S Hubbard and Charles D Rosa The state was named for its main river which was called Ouisconsin in early records Some believe the word came from a Native American word meaning gathering of waters
INTRODUCTION 5 General Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee is the largest airport in Wisconsin More than 10 airlines offer several hundred arrivals to the airport each day For those traveling by bus there is also a Greyhound Terminal in Milwaukee with buses going to many of the cities in the state Train travelers can take several routes into the state Highways out of Wisconsin connect to several large cities in the United States The State Trunk General Mitchell International Airport serves more than 6 million passengers every year Highway system includes approximately 11,800 miles of roadways and 4,600 bridges This system makes up about 10 percent of all roads in the state but it carries 60 percent of all traffic The main highway Interstate 94 connects Milwaukee with Chicago to the south Wisconsin Location Map Capital Madison Interstate highways Scale 0 0 25 40 50 80 Mi Km Population 5,363,675 Size 65,500 square miles Highest peak Timms Hill 1,951 feet The state flag was adopted in 1863 Changes were made to it in 1913 and 1979 It has a dark blue background with the state coat of arms in the center The word Wisconsin appears above the coat of arms in white letters and 1848 is underneath Four sections in the shield on Wisconsin’s coat of arms represent the state’s major industries agriculture mining manufacturing and shipping A pile of lead and a cornucopia below the shield represent minerals and farm products
