Education.—Education is compulsory for all children between the ages of 7 and 14; in the cities for the entire school year and in towns and villages, for six months. There were in 1919 405,467 pu pils enrolled in the elementary schools, with 14,475 teachers. There were 373 high schools, with 51,388 pupils. The State has nine normal schools, with about 4,000 students. The universities for higher education include the University of Wisconsin, at Madison; Beloit Col-. lege, at Beloit; Marquette College and Concordia College, at Milwaukee; Law rence University, at Appleton; and the Milwaukee Downer College for Women, at Milwaukee.
Finances.—The receipts for the fiscal year 1918-1919 amounted to $26,582,892, and the disbursements to $24,094,807. There was a balance at the end of the year amounting to $7,558,647. The as sessed valuation of all property on Sep tember 30, 1919, was $4,068,268,534. The bonded indebtedness of the State in 1919 was $1,851,000.
Churches.—The strongest denomina tions in the State are the Roman Catho lic; Lutheran, Independent Synods; Methodist Episcopal; Congregational; Regular Baptist; Evangelical Associa tion; German Evangelical Synod, and Presbyterian.
Railways.—The total railway mileage in 1919 was 7,736.18 miles. The roads hav ing the longest mileage are the Chicago and Northwestern, the Chicago, Milwau kee and St. Paul and the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie railroads.
State Government.—The governor is elected for a term of two years. Legis lative sessions are held biennially in odd years, beginning on the second Wednes day in January, and there is no limit to length of session. The Legislature has 33 members in the Senate and 100 in the House. There are 11 representatives in Congress.
History.—The region W. of Lake Michigan was first explored and occupied by French missionaries and traders in 1639, and the country was held thencefor ward under French dominion till its sur render to Great Britain in 1763. Canadian
law governed the territory, and the English kept possession with a military force at Green Bay till 1796, when it re verted to the Americans, who included it within the extended limits of their gov ernment of the Northwest Territories. In 1809 Wisconsin was annexed to the Ter ritory of Illinois, as then formed, and so continued till the conversion of the latter into a State in 1818, when Wis consin, which was yet a wilderness, was annexed to Michigan Territory, for such government as was needed. In 1827, lead was discovered in large quantities at Potosi and Mineral Point, and there was a great rush of immigrants to that section. The Indians soon became troublesome, and the Black Hawk War ensued in 1832. Treaties were made with the Indians soon after, by which they re moved to reservations beyond the Missis sippi. In 1836, the population had in creased to such an extent that a Ter ritorial government was organized, which at first included a part of the upper peninsula of Michigan, the whole of Minnesota and Iowa, and that part of the Dakotas lying E. of the Missouri and White Earth rivers. On the admission of Michigan into the Union as a State, a part of the Lake Superior region was set off to her, and when the Territory of Iowa was formed, it included all the region W. of the Mississippi. The first effort to procure the admission of Wis consin to the Union as a State was made in 1846. A constitution drafted during that year was ratified in March, 1848, and the State was admitted to the Union by Act of Congress, May 29, 1848. Under this constitution, with some amendments, it is still governed.