Wisconsin

WISCONSIN, popularly called the "Badger State," is one of the North-central States of the United States. It is bounded north by Lake Superior and the upper peninsula of Michigan, east by Lake Michigan, south by Illinois and west by Iowa and Minnesota. The greater part of the western boundary is formed by the St. Croix and Mississippi rivers flowing southward. From south to north 30' N., 3' N.) the greatest length of the State is about 30o m. and from east to west (86° 49' W., to 92° 54' W.) its extreme breadth is about 26o miles. The lake shore boundaries on the north and east are over Soo m. in length. In area the State totals 56,o66 sq.m., of which 810 are water surface.

Physical Features.

The surface of Wisconsin is generally of a rolling or undulating character, interrupted only by the sharper ridges of changing geological strata, the bluff lands along the Wisconsin and Mississippi rivers, and isolated hills and ridges of older rocks which, especially in the north-central part of the State, have thrust themselves up through the younger sedimentary rocks. Rib Hill (1,940 ft.), the highest point in the State, near the town of Wausau in north-central Wisconsin, is an elevation of the latter character. So also are the Baraboo hills, a range in the south-central part of the State. The lowest part of the State is along the shore of Lake Michigan (480 ft. above sea-level). The mean elevation is 1,050 feet. The divides which form the water sheds between Lake Superior, Lake Michigan and the valley of the Mississippi river and its tributaries—the three main drainage areas—are very slight. Of these areas that of Lake Superior is much the smallest. Its short, rapid streams seldom rise more than 3o m. S. of the lake shore. Of the streams flowing into Lake Michigan the Fox river (260 m.) is the most important. Rising in the south-central part of the State it flows north and east by a circuitous route through Lake Winnebago, and thence into Green bay. In its upper course it is joined from the north by Wolf river, an important tributary. The Menominee and Oconto are smaller rivers also flowing into Green bay, while further south the Sheboygan and Milwaukee rivers empty directly into the lake. The harbours along Lake Michigan are mainly enlarged mouths of rivers.

The largest by far of the drainage areas is that whose waters flow into the Mississippi river. The Wisconsin river, the principal tributary, rises on the upper Michigan border and flows south and west for 600 m. through the heart of the State to join the

Mississippi near Prairie du Chien. It is navigable for light craft as far as Portage, 200 m. from its mouth. At this point the Fox river, flowing into Lake Michigan, is but a mile to the east across low, marshy ground. The proximity of the two rivers made this a frequent route for early explorers and fur-traders travelling by canoe from the lake to the Mississippi ; a canal now connects them. North of the mouth of the Wisconsin the Missis sippi receives several rivers of considerable length, the most im portant of which are the Black, Chippewa and St. Croix, the latter forming the Wisconsin-Minnesota boundary line for 135 miles. The southern part of the State is drained by a number of streams which find their way to the Mississippi after passing into Illinois. The largest of these are the Rock, Fox (of the Illinois) and Des Plaines rivers.

Glacial ice sheets covered all but the south-western quarter of Wisconsin and greatly influenced the topography and soils. They levelled the hills, filled in the valleys and ground and mixed the soils. In the terminal moraines invaluable sand and gravel de posits were left. The glacial ice was further responsible for the thousands of lakes which not only add to the beauty of the State and serve increasingly as summer resorts but also serve to control the water flow of the rivers and prevent floods. The largest of these is Lake Winnebago with an extreme length of 3o m. and breadth of io m., on the banks of which are several important manufacturing cities. In the south and east portions of the State the lakes are beautiful, clear bodies of water with sandy or gravelly shores, and, as a rule, high banks heavily wooded. Many of them are famous as summer resorts, notably Lake Geneva, Green lake, the lakes in Waukesha county and the famous "four lakes" near Madison. A second group of many hundreds of lakes is found in the highland district of northern Wisconsin, chiefly in Vilas, Oneida and Iron counties. Most of these are small, but there are few portions of the world where so large a proportion of the total area is occupied by lakes. A third group, also con sisting of hundreds of small lakes lying close together, is to be found in north-western Wisconsin, especially in Washburn, Bur nett, Polk, Barron and Sawyer counties.