Wisconsin
2 of the 7 encyclopedias on this shelf carry an entry for Wisconsin. Both are reproduced below, so you can see where they agree and where they differ.
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
a north central state of the American Union. It is sometimes called the Badger State . Area, 56,040 square miles. The name is Indian, meaning wild, rushing river. An earlier spelling is Ouisconsin. The state, like many others, was named for its river. It lies north of Illinois, between the Mississippi River and the Great Lakes . The upper peninsula of Michigan, naturally a part of Wisconsin, was assigned the former state in compensation for the loss of Toledo territory to Ohio. The surface of Wisconsin is without mountains. The Mississippi leaves the state at an altitude of 591 feet above the sea level. The surface of Lake Michigan, the lowest level in the state, is 578 feet above the sea. The Penokee Iron Range, thirty miles from Lake Superior, reaches an altitude of 1,800 feet. A few short streams flow into Lake Superior, others into Lake Michigan. Otherwise the drainage is entirely into the Mississippi. The Fox and Wisconsin rivers, save a short portage, form a continuous waterway from Lake Michigan and Green Bay to Mississippi,--a route formerly much frequented by the Indians, fur traders, and explorers. MINERALS. The iron and copper region of the northern peninsula extends westward into Wisconsin. Lead and zinc are mined with profit. There is an abundance of limestone, sandstone, and granite for building purposes. Potter's clay and glass-sand are found. The output of mineral water from the Waukesha and other famous springs is valued at $1,250,000 a year. FORESTS. The northern part of the state lies in the white pine belt. Though most of the pine has been cut, the saw mills still turn out 3,000,000,000 feet of lumber a year. In 1900 Wisconsin ranked first in the Union in the total value of its timber products. Valuable hard woods still remain. Actual settlers are following the lumbermen rapidly. AGRICULTURE. The southern section resembles Iowa and Illinois in surface, soil, and productions. Named in order of money value, the chief crops are corn, oats, hay, wheat, potatoes, barley, rye, and buckwheat. A cigar tobacco is raised in certain counties. Onions and miscellaneous vegetables are profitable. Large canning factories put up sweet corn, peas, and tomatoes. Hardy orchard fruits do well, especially in the southern part of the state. Small fruits thrive everywhere. Grapes are grown without difficulty in what may be called the horticultural area, that is to say, the Michigan shore from Green Bay southward. Blueberries are gathered in certain sections of the old pine region. Native cranberry marshes have been improved until, in favorable seasons, 100,000 barrels of cranberries are sent to market. Chicago, Milwaukee, the Iron Range towns, the cities at the head of Lake Superior, St. Paul, and Minneapolis afford an excellent market for all sorts of orchard and garden produce. DAIRYING. Wisconsin takes high rank in the group of dairy states and is second only to New York in the production of cheese. The dairymen realize $16,000,000 a year from the sale of milk alone. The total value of live stock has long since passed the $100,000,000 mark. MANUFACTURING. Though having a reputation primarily as an agricultural and dairy state, Wisconsin holds, as a matter of fact, eighth place in manufacturing, with an annual output for 1900 valued at $360,818,942. The principal lines of manufacture, named in order of money value, are lumber and wood products, flour and grist, foundry products, railroad cars, leather, beer, packed meats, and paper. An abundance of timber and grain, and deep-water transportation on the Great Lakes, supplemented by the Mississippi, together with excellent railroad facilities, give promise of future development. HISTORICAL. Frenchmen were the earliest white explorers of Wisconsin. Nicollet in 1634, Allouez in 1655, Marquette and Joliet in 1673, Hennepin and La Salle in 1679, were leaders. A Jesuit mission was established at Green Bay in 1668. It was visited by a fur-trading ship, the Griffin, in 1679, but ship and cargo were lost on the return trip. Fur traders established themselves here about 1750. Wisconsin was a part of the Northwest Territory established by the Ordinance of 1787. In 1800 it was made a part of Indiana Territory, in 1809 a part of Illinois, and in 1818 a part of Michigan. In 1836 the territory of Wisconsin was organized, with boundaries including a part of what is now upper Michigan, all of Minnesota and Iowa, and that part of the Dakotas lying east of the Missouri and White Earth rivers. The state was admitted with its present boundaries May 29, 1848. The capital is Madison, beautifully situated on a series of lakes. There are fifty-one counties. State officers are elected for two years. The legislature of two houses meets the second Wednesday of odd numbered years. The state system of education includes primary schools, high schools, seven normal schools, and a state university, employing in all over 13,000 instructors. The state university, located at Madison, is one of the leading educational institutions of the United States . The public system is supplemented by private schools and colleges, the most prominent of which are Beloit, Lawrence, and Ripon. POPULATION, ETC. The population of the state in 1900 was 2,069,042. The state census of 1905 places the population at 2,228,949. The leading foreign-born elements are German and Scandinavian. The leading denominations are the Catholics, Lutherans, Methodists, Congregationalists, Baptists, and Presbyterians. Milwaukee is the metropolis of the state. Superior is second in population and commercial importance. Other cities named in approximate order of size are Racine, Oshkosh, La Crosse, Madison, Sheboygan, Green Bay, Eau Claire, Marinette, Fond du Lac, Appleton, Janesville, Ashland, Wausau, Mani-towoc, and Kenosha. The original inhabitants, the Chippewas, Menominees, Winnebagoes, Miamis, Kicka-poos, Sacs, and Foxes have been reduced to a mere remnant of 8,372. Their names are associated with the streams and lakes and with towns that now occupy their former camping places. STATISTICS. The following statistics are the latest to be had from trustworthy sources: Land area, square miles 54,450 Population (1906) 2,260,000 Milwaukee (1910) 373,857 Superior (est.) 40,915 Racine (1910) 38,002 Oshkosh (1910) 33,062 La Crosse (1910) 30,417 Madison (1910) 25,531 Sheboygan (1906) 24,239 Green Bay 23,688 Eau Claire 18,981 Fond du Lac 17,719 Appleton 17,383 Kenosha 17,061 No. counties 71 Members of state senate 33 Representatives 100 Salary of governor $5,000 U. S. representatives 11 Presidential electors 13 Assessed valuation of property $1,384,000,000 Bonded indebtedness None State revenue $6,500,000 Acres of improved land 11,246,000 Agricultural Products-- Corn, bushels 50,000,000 Wheat, bushels 3,328,000 Oats, bushels 73,000,000 Barley, bushels 25,000,000 Potatoes, bushels 20,000,000 Rye, bushels 5,250,000 Hay, tons 4,000,000 Tobacco, pounds 40,000,000 Beet sugar, pounds 30,000,000 Wool, pounds 5,312,000 Domestic Animals-- Horses 643,000 Mules 5,000 Milk cows 1,392,000 Other cattle 1,137,000 Sheep 1,044,000 Swine 1,910,000 Manufacturing establishments (1905) 8,558 Capital invested $416,000,000 Operatives 151,000 Wages $71,000,000 Output of manufactures $411,000,000 Leather $25,000,000 Liquors $28,000,000 Lumber products $55,000,000 Dairy products $30,000,000 Flour and grist $28,000,000 Tons of coal mined 838,000 Zinc, tons 15,273 Tons of iron ore 838,000 Quarry products $2,492,000 Miles of railway 7,292 Teachers in public schools 14,491 Pupils enrolled 465,490 Percentage of male teachers 12,8 Average monthly salary of teachers $50.81 Average annual expenditure per pupil $27.28 See Cranberries; Matches ; Pine ; Iron ; Michigan ; Lake ; Superior ; Lake ; Marquette
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
a State in the North Central Division of the North American Union; bounded by Lakes Michigan and Superior, Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, and Minnesota; admitted to the Union, May 20, 1848; capital, Madison; number of counties, 71; area, 56,066 square miles; pop. (1890) 1,686,880; (1900) 2,069,042; (1910) 2,333,860; (1920) 2,632,067. Topography. Wisconsin is an elevated undulating plain with an altitude of from 600 to 1,800 feet above the sea. A ridge about 30 miles S. of Lake Superior forms the watershed of the State, the ground sloping down in all directions. A high cliff extends along the shore of Green Bay and Lake Winnebago. The Mississippi river extends along the W. boundary for a distance of 250 miles, and receives the St. Croix, Chippewa, Black, and Wisconsin rivers. Other important rivers are the Rock, St. Louis, Bois Brulé, Bad, and Montreal, flowing into Lake Superior; the Menomonee, onee, Peshtigo, Oconto, Pensaukee, and Fox, flowing into Green Bay; and the Manitowoc, Sheboygan, and Milwaukee, emptying into The State is fa- Lake Michigan.. mous for its numerous beautiful lakes among which are the Winnebago, St. Croix, Pepin, Poygan, Pewaukee, Geneva, ng, Oconomowoc, and Koshkonong, Occ Green, K Four Lakes. The lake shores have numerous excellent harbors, including Green Bay, Chequamegon Bay, and Port Washington. Geology and Mineralogy. - The e Laurentian, Devonian, and Archæan periods are all well represented in Wisconsin. The Archæan rocks cover an area in the N. central portion of the State, with an , and 160 extreme length of 240 miles, les miles wide. They consist principally of metamorphic granite, gneiss, syenite, diorite, schists, and slates. S. of this tract, and along the Lake Superior slope are beds of Silurian origin. The mineral resources of the State are very extensive. Lead, copper, iron, and zinc occur abundantly and are mined with profit. The production of zinc is about 50,000 tons annually, valued at over $10,000,000. The iron production in 1919, almost entirely from the Lake Superior district, was 52,003,000 tons, compared with 59,- 779,794 tons in 1918. The iron produced is entirely hematite. The production of pig iron in 1918 was 363,225 tons, valued at $13,832,908. The State is an important producer of stone and mineral waters. Agriculture. Much of the N. part of the State is covered with extensive forests of white pine, balsam, hemlock, and other cone-bearing evergreens. The soil in the N. is not well adapted to agriculture, but the prairies in the S. and central portions are exceedingly rich and productive, raising the cereals, tobacco, and potatoes in great quantities. The acreage, production, and value of the principal crops in 1919 was as follows: Corn, 1,820,000 acres, production 85,540,- 000 bushels, value $106,925,000; oats, 2,339,000 acres, production 78,123,000 bushels, value $54,686,000; wheat, 549,000 acres, production 7,355,000 bushels, value, $15,814,000; rye, 525,000 acres, production 8,295,000 bushels, value $11,- 033,000; barley, 512,000 acres, production 13,568,000 bushels, value $16,417,000; tobacco, 48,000 acres, production 60,960,- 000 pounds, value $13,533,000; hay, 2, 677,000 acres, production 4,738,000 tons, value $96,181,000; potatoes, 300,000 acres, production 28,200,000 bushels, production value $39,480,000. Manufactures. - There were in 1914 9,104 manufacturing establishments, employing 194,310 wage earners. The capital invested was $754,287,000; wages paid $112,193,000; value of the materials used $417,415,000; and the value of the finished product $695,172,000. Banking. On Oct. 31, 1919, there were reported 147 National banks in operation, having $22,120,000 in capital; $12,- 711,000 in outstanding circulation; and $53,362,000 in United States bonds. There were also 775 State banks with $24,558,000 capital, and $8,791,000 surplus. The exchanges at the United States clearing house at Milwaukee during the year ending Sept. 30, 1919, aggregated $1,539,000,000, an increase over those of the preceding year of $104,- 917,000. Education. Education is compulsory for all children between the ages of 7 and 14; in the cities for the entire school year and in towns and villages, for six months. There were in 1919 405,467 pupils enrolled in the elementary schools, with 14,475 teachers. There were 373 high schools, with 51,388 pupils. The State has nine normal schools, with about 4,000 students. The universities for higher education include the University of Wisconsin, at Madison; Beloit College, at Beloit; Marquette quette nette College Colleg and Concordia College, at Milwaukee; Lawrence University, at Appleton; and the Milwaukee Downer College for Women, at Milwaukee. Finances. The receipts for the fiscal year 1918-1919 amounted to $26,582,892, and the disbursements to $24,094,807. There was a balance at the end of the year amounting to $7,558,647. The assessed valuation of all property on September 30, 1919, was $4,068,268,534. The bonded indebtedness of the State in 1919 was $1,851,000. Churches. The strongest denominations in the State are the Roman Catholic; Lutheran, Independent Synods; Methodist Episcopal; Congregational; Regular Baptist; Evangelical Association; German Evangelical Synod, and Presbyterian. Railways. The total railway mileage in 1919 was 7,736.18 miles. The roadshaving the longest mileage are the Chicago and Northwestern, the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul and the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie railroads. State Government. The governor is elected for a term of two years. Legislative sessions are held biennially in odd years, beginning on the second Wednesday in January, and there is no limit to length of session. The Legislature has 33 members in the Senate and 100 in the House. There are 11 representatives in Congress. History. The region W. of Lake Michigan was first explored and occupied by French missionaries and traders in 1639, and the country was held thenceforward under French dominion till its surrender to Great Britain in 1763. Canadian law governed the territory, and the English kept possession with a military force at Green Bay till till 17 1796, when it reverted to the Americans, who included it within the extended limits of their government of the Northwest Territories. In 1809 Wisconsin was annexed to the Territory of Illinois, as then formed, and so continued till the conversion of the latter into a State in 1818, when Wisconsin, which was yet a wilderness, was annexed to Michigan Territory, for such government as was needed. In 1827, lead was discovered in large quantities at Potosi and Mineral Point, and there was a great rush of immigrants to that section. The Indians soon became troublesome, and the Black Hawk War ensued in 1832. Treaties were made with the Indians soon after, by which they removed to reservations beyond the Mississippi. In 1836, the population had increased to such an extent that a Territorial government was organized, which at first included a part of the upper peninsula of Michigan, the whole of Minnesota and Iowa, and that part of the Dakotas lying E. of the Missouri and White Earth rivers. On the admission of Michigan into the Union as a State, a part of the Lake Superior region was set off to her, and when the Territory of Iowa was formed, it included all the region W. of the Mississippi. The first effort to procure the admission of Wisconsin to the Union as a State was made in 1846. A constitution drafted during that year was ratified in March, 1848, to, and the State was admitted to the Union by Act of Congress, May 29, 1848. Under this constitution, with some amendments, it is still governed.