Wisconsin Counties: History and Information

Find a brief history of Wisconsin Counties

Wisconsin is one of the fifty United States of America, located in the north central part of the United States. It borders two of the five Great Lakes and four US states (Illinois, Iowa, Michigan and Minnesota). Wisconsin's capital is Madison, and its largest city is Milwaukee.

In 1634, the Frenchman Jean Nicolet was the first person to explore Wisconsin. He founded the Green Bay colony. During the next 150 years, the area was settled primarily by French fur traders. France then transferred the territory to Britain in 1763. The United States acquired the Wisconsin territory after the Revolution in 1783 but it remained under British administration until the War of 1812. The nineteenth century saw settlement by Yankees, Cornish miners, and German, Scandinavian and Swiss settlers.

Wisconsin, bordered by the states of Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan and Illinois, as well as Lakes Michigan and Superior, has been part of United States' territory since the end of the American Revolution; the Wisconsin Territory (which included parts of other current states) was formed on July 3, 1836. Wisconsin ratified its constitution on March 13, 1848, and was admitted to the Union on May 29, 1848, as the 30th state. There are 72 Counties in Wisconsin

A border dispute with Michigan was settled by two cases, both Wisconsin v. Michigan, in 1934 and 1935.

State Resources:

• Wisconsin Historical Society