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Wisconsin History
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Wisconsin
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Early History
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Apart from the brief visit of the Scandinavians in the early
eleventh century, the Western Hemisphere remained unknown to Europe until Columbus's voyage in
1492. However, the native peoples of North and South America arrived from Asia long before, in a
series of migrations that began perhaps as early as forty thousand years ago across the land
bridge that connected Siberia and Alaska.
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Wisconsin Early History
First Early Inhabitants of Wisconsin
Early history examines the archaeological record that tells the story of the first inhabitants of Wisconsin. Learn about the history and culture of the first inhabitants, and what lessons it might teach us about the early history of Wisconsin.
Wisconsin First Early Inhabitants
As long ago as 10,000 years ago, Paleo-indians came through Wisconsin hunting wooly mammoth, mastodon, and bison. After the retreat of the glaciers, the climate improved and people began to live in caves, along rivers, and around lakes. They hunted smaller animals like deer and elk, and harvested wild plants, nuts, and acorns. During the Woodland Period, around 3,000 years ago, people began to live together in villages, and use bows and arrows to hunt. They built burial mounds for their dead.
By the 17th century, the people living in Wisconsin belonged to broad groups of Indians, classified by language type. The Menominee, the Kickapoo and the Miami tribes spoke Algonquian, and the Winnebago, Dakota and Iowa tribes spoke Sioux. Later in the century, other groups entered Wisconsin including the Fox, Sac, Potawatomi and Ojibewa (Chippewa).
When the first Europeans came into the area, they brought important opportunities for trade, particularly in furs like beaver. They also brought diseases for which the native people did not have natural immunities. Many of the native people died from smallpox, measles and mumps. In fact, disease is likely to have killed many more Native Americans than armed conflicts did. By 1825, the US government and Indian representatives met in Prairie Du Chien and signed a treaty establishing the boundaries amongst various tribes and opening the way for further non-Indian settlement. However, this treaty did not prevent further conflict between Native Americans and European settlers looking for land. The native people were eventually forced off their land to land further west or to reservations.
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US History
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Understanding history is empowering. An incident is but the furthest
ripple of an ever-expanding wave that may have started eddying outward hundreds of years ago. One
who has "insight" in history is able to harness the power of that wave's entire journey.
United States of America has an early history beginning
sometime prior to 15,000 years ago, as well as the past 200 years or so of rich and proud
history, which is relatively short compared to other countries and nations. From
Independence to the Civil War to the World Wars to the Cold War, we have a lot of things to
tell and things to be proud of.
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