Since I started researching the history of Wisconsin to try and figure out why the badger was so big in Wisconsin. I found out a lot more about the history of Wisconsin then I thought would come about while researching this topic. I learned that the history of the badger didn’t just come about from being the UW Madison mascot. It goes deeper than that all the way back to the 1800’s when mining was brought in more revenue to the state of Wisconsin, then farming. Knowing so little about the history of Wisconsin, I haven gained so much more knowledge about the history just from looking at this one part of Wisconsin’s history.
Based on what I have learned about the history of the term “badger” in Wisconsin and how it got its importance. I have found that it isn’t so much about history as much as it is about tradition to call the miners, and now the people who live in Wisconsin “badgers.” I found out that the term “badger” started when the Native American people would see white miners in the spring and they would dig out hole in the ground, and if they didn’t find anything in the holes they would move on to a different camp site. These holes that they would find looked like badger holes, so when the miners would come to the north they just started being called “badgers.”
I have found another source that I want to do more research on and it is from the Wisconsin Miners Association. I think that it would help with my research, because even though most of the information is the same it will go into more detail about the lead mines and how important they were to Wisconsin’s people’s income, the whole state of Wisconsin’s revenue, and the money they made off of the lead.
I was really curious about how mascots are representing the colleges in US and how they pick their mascot. I have heard Wisconsin badgers so many times but I did not know why they call Wisconsin badgers. I thought it might have a historical story of it but there isn’t! It would be really helpful for you to find why the hole made by miners affected throughout state and could be a mascot. What are some impacts of mining to Wisconsin state 1800? I am looking forward to learning more of it!
I thought that you chose a great topic to research. I would have never thought more than Wisconsin being a badger state because of the mascot. I thought that you reviewed what you learned in a great way where you told what you learned along the way and then gave the answer to what your question was all along. I think that you did a great job researching and finding out what the answer to your question was. It was very interesting to learn about why Wisconsin is a badger state. I think you continuing your research in learning about the mining is a great way to expand your research. I hope you find a lot of cool information!
You’ve uncovered some fascinating material about this aspect of Wisconsin history. You also might want to seek information about the state’s mining industry in the more recent past; that would give readers of your essay a broader sense of how mining in the state has evolved.