Wisconsin: Cheese, Champions, and a Few Surprises

State #30 | May 29, 1848

I’ll be honest. Before researching Wisconsin, I knew two things about it: cheese and the Green Bay Packers.

Those are certainly important parts of Wisconsin—but they barely begin to tell its story.

This is a state shaped by glaciers, built by miners, farmers, immigrants, and inventors, and filled with islands, sea caves, lighthouses, historic architecture, and a dining tradition all its own. Wisconsin even has a cheese castle, because apparently regular cheese stores are not impressive enough.

Welcome to Wisconsin, the 30th state in our America 250 journey.

Becoming the 30th State

Long before Wisconsin became a state, the region was home to Native peoples whose nations and cultures remain an important part of Wisconsin today. The Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Ojibwe, Potawatomi, and other Native nations lived throughout the region, building communities around its forests, rivers, and lakes.

French explorers and fur traders began arriving during the 1600s, followed later by the British and then American settlers.

Wisconsin became a U.S. territory in 1836 and officially joined the Union on May 29, 1848.

But before dairy farming became its claim to fame, one of Wisconsin’s earliest industries gave the state a nickname that has lasted for generations.

The Badger State—But Not for the Reason You Think

You might assume Wisconsin is called the Badger State because large numbers of badgers once roamed the countryside.

Not quite.

During the early 1800s, lead mining attracted people to southwestern Wisconsin. Some miners dug temporary shelters into hillsides rather than building houses above ground. Because they appeared to be burrowing into the earth, people began calling them “badgers.”

The name stuck.

Wisconsin eventually made the American badger its official state animal, but the state’s famous nickname began with miners living in holes in the ground—not the animal itself.

That may be my favorite Wisconsin fact so far.

How Wisconsin Became America’s Dairyland

Wisconsin did not begin as a dairy state. Its early farmers primarily grew wheat, but depleted soil, crop diseases, and insect problems made wheat farming increasingly difficult during the 1800s.

Farmers began turning to dairy cattle instead.

European immigrants brought generations of cheesemaking knowledge with them, and Wisconsin’s climate and landscape proved well suited for dairy farming. Cheese also kept longer than fresh milk, making it easier to store and transport.

By the end of the 1800s, dairy cows could be found on more than 90 percent of Wisconsin farms. Today, Wisconsin is still known as America’s Dairyland, producing billions of pounds of cheese in hundreds of varieties.

And then there are the cheese curds.

Fresh cheese curds are famous for squeaking when you bite into them. They can be eaten fresh, but in true Midwestern fashion, they are also commonly battered, deep-fried, and served hot.

I feel like Wisconsin understood the assignment.

A Football Team Owned by Its Fans

The Green Bay Packers were established in 1919 and have become one of the most storied teams in professional football.

But what makes the Packers especially unusual is how the team is owned.

The Packers have operated as a publicly owned nonprofit corporation since 1923. More than half a million people own shares, but those shares do not pay dividends or increase in value like regular stock. Owning one is less about making money and more about becoming part of the team’s history.

The Packers remain the NFL’s only community-owned team.

Lambeau Field opened in 1957 and is one of the oldest and most recognizable stadiums in professional football. Even outside football season, people can tour the stadium, visit the Packers Hall of Fame, and walk through the same tunnel used by the players.

You do not necessarily have to be a Packers fan to appreciate what the team means to Green Bay—but I suspect wearing the wrong colors might earn you a few looks.

A Landscape Left Behind by Ice

Much of Wisconsin’s landscape was formed by glaciers during the last Ice Age. As the ice moved and eventually melted, it left behind lakes, ridges, valleys, unusual rock formations, and rolling countryside.

The Ice Age National Scenic Trail stretches approximately 1,200 miles across the state, following many of these glacial features.

Farther north, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore protects 21 islands and part of the Lake Superior shoreline. The area is known for beaches, forests, historic lighthouses, and sandstone sea caves that can be explored by boat or kayak when conditions allow.

Then there is Door County, a peninsula between Green Bay and Lake Michigan filled with small waterfront communities, orchards, beaches, and historic lighthouses. Visitors can explore from shore or see the peninsula’s caves and rugged coastline on a scenic boat tour while learning about the area’s history.

Apparently, Wisconsin has been keeping its coastal side very quiet.

Wisconsin Dells Before the Waterparks

Wisconsin Dells is now known for its large indoor and outdoor waterparks, but people were visiting the area long before the first waterslide appeared.

The original attraction was the Wisconsin River itself.

Over thousands of years, water carved dramatic cliffs, narrow passages, and unusual formations into the area’s sandstone. Early visitors toured the river in rowboats and later in steamboats. Boat tours still carry people through the scenery that first made the Dells a vacation destination.

The waterparks may get most of the attention today, but the landscape started attracting visitors first.

Supper Clubs, Fish Fries, and a State Pastry

Wisconsin also has a food culture that goes well beyond cheese.

Traditional Wisconsin supper clubs are independently owned restaurants where dinner is meant to be an evening out rather than a quick meal. The experience often begins with a drink at the bar and continues with steaks, seafood, relish trays, and homemade desserts.

Friday fish fries are another long-standing Wisconsin tradition, influenced in part by the state’s Catholic and immigrant communities.

Wisconsin even has an official state pastry: the kringle. The flaky, oval-shaped pastry was brought to the Racine area by Danish immigrants and can be filled with fruit, nuts, cheese, or other sweet fillings.

Wisconsin also grows more cranberries than any other state, accounting for more than half of the nation’s production.

So yes, Wisconsin loves cheese—but it would be a mistake to stop there.

Motorcycles, Architecture, and Wisconsin Originals

In 1903, William Harley and Arthur Davidson began building motorcycles inside a small wooden shed in Milwaukee. That project grew into Harley-Davidson, one of the most recognizable motorcycle brands in the world. Today, the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee tells the story of the company and the machines it created.

Wisconsin was also the birthplace of architect Frank Lloyd Wright. His home and studio, Taliesin, sits near Spring Green and became the place where he designed some of his most famous buildings. Taliesin and the Herbert and Katherine Jacobs House in Madison are both included in a UNESCO World Heritage designation honoring Wright’s influence on modern architecture.

And because every state needs something wonderfully unexpected, Wisconsin also offers:

• The House on the Rock, a sprawling collection of unusual rooms, exhibits, and curiosities near Spring Green
• Mars Cheese Castle, an actual castle-shaped cheese store in Kenosha
• Goats grazing on the grass-covered roof of a Swedish restaurant in Door County
• The Circus World museum in Baraboo, once the winter headquarters of the Ringling Brothers

Wisconsin clearly has a quirky side, and I am here for it.

More Than Cheese and Football

I started this journey knowing Wisconsin for cheese and the Green Bay Packers.

Now I see a state of Lake Superior islands, sandstone cliffs, glacial trails, lighthouse towns, historic supper clubs, motorcycles, architecture, and miners who accidentally gave an entire state its nickname.

Would I still eat plenty of cheese if we visited?

Absolutely.

But now I know there would be much more waiting beyond the cheese counter.

And in Brock’s World, that’s the truth—with a twist that’s whey better. 🧀