Wisconsin: The Badger State

Wisconsin: The Badger State — page 1
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