What is National Wisconsin Day?
We recognize each state in the order they entered the union, beginning with Hawaii and ending with Hawaii on Independence Day. We feature a small part of each state's past, foods, and the people who make up the state. There's so much more to discover, we can't help but celebrate our beautiful country even more.
Wisconsin became the 30th state on May 29, 1848, with rich copper, lead, pine, and fertile farmland. When looking for a Northwest passage to China in 1634, French explorer Jean Nicolet was the first European to reach Wisconsin.
The Badger State was born out of a mining boom, not fur trading, which gave rise to the term The Badger State. According to oral history, the miners burrowed into the hillsides much like badgers for shelter rather than establishing more permanent homesteads. The first wave of settlers to the area began the uprooting of the Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Chippewa, and other indigenous peoples.
Early in Wisconsin's settlement, dairy production began to take root. The state became well-known for its dairy farms and synonymous with cheese by the turn of the century.
Mining, dairies, and breweries all grew one after the other. A new brand of dreamers emerged after an influx of German immigrants in the 1850s. The Badger State's thirst quenched, the Brewers croaked up in Wisconsin, quenching The Badger State's thirst. The 18th Amendment of 1919 prohibiting alcohol drowned out a substantial portion of the sport, leaving only a handful after the 1933 prohibition was repealed in 1933.
