A New and Complete Gazetteer of the United States By
Thomas Baldwin and J. Thomas, M.D. Philadelphia:
Lippincott, Grambo & Co. 1854 pp.1302-1307

Contributed by Kathy Lenerz lenerzk@worldnet.att.net.
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm

WISCONSIN, one of the recently settled states of the
American confederacy, is bounded on the N. by
Minnesota, Lake Superior, and the northern peninsula
of Michigan, (from which it is separated in part by
the Mennemonee and Montreal rivers,) on the E. by Lake
Michigan, S. by Illinois, and W. by Iowa and Minnesota
Territory, from the former of which it is separated by
the Mississippi, and from the latter (in part) by the
St. Croix river. It lies between 42° 30' and 46° 55'
N. lat., (if we exclude some small islands belonging
to the state in Lake Superior,) and between 87° and
92° 50' W. lon., being about 285 miles in extreme
length from N. to S., and about 255 in its greatest
breadth from E. to W., including an area of about
53,924 square miles, or 34,511,360 acres, of which
1,045,499 were improved in 1850.

Population.-This flourishing scion of the West has had
a growth unexampled even in that thriving region,
having increased from 30,945 in 1840, to a population
of 305,391 in 1850; of whom 164,22l were white males;
140, 344 white females; 365 free colored males; and
216 free colored females. The population was divided
into 33,517 families, occupying 32,962 dwellings. Of
the entire population, 68,015 only were born in the
state; 134,897 in other states of the confederacy;
8277 in British America; 34,519 in Germany; 775 in
France: 18,952 in England: 21,043 in Ireland; 3237 in
Scotland; 4319 in Wales; 4 in Spain; 4 in Portugal; 45
in Belgium; 1157 in Holland; 9 in Italy; 61 in
Austria; 1244 in Prussia; 71 in Russia; 8651 in
Norway; 146 in Denmark; 88 in Sweden; 3545 in Prussia;
1 in Sardinia; 1 in Greece; 17 in Asia; 1 in Africa; 9
in Mexico; 11 in Central America; 6 in South America;
20 in West Indies; 1 in Sandwich Islands; 191 in other
countries, and 784 whose places of birth were unknown-
showing nearly 35 per cent. of foreign birth, and
exhibiting a greater variety than is usual even in the
very diversified population of the other parts of the
Union. It will be observed that a new element, or at
least in much greater proportion than elsewhere, has
been introduced by the emigration of considerable
bodies of Norwegians, being about two-thirds of the
whole number of that nation born in the United States.
The emigration from Germany and Wales is also in
greater proportion than in the other states.

Counties.-Wisconsin is divided into 43 counties, viz.
Adams, Bad Axe, Brown, Calumet, Chippewa, Columbia,
Crawford, Dane, Dodge, Door, Fond du Lac, Grant,
Green. Iowa, Jefferson, Kenosha, Kewaunee, La Crosse,
Lafayette, Lapointe, Manitoowoc, Marathon, Marquette,
Milwaukee, Oconto, Outagamie, Ozaukee, Pierce, Polk,
Portage, Racine, Richland, Rock, St. Croix, Sauk,
Shawana, Sheboygan, Walworth, Washington, Waukesha,
Waupacca, Wanshara, and Winnebago. Capital, Madison.

Cities and Towns.-Towns are springing up in Wisconsin
as if by magic, and a region that but a few years ago
was mostly an Indian hunting ground, is now dotted
over with them. The principal of these are Milwaukee,
population, 20,061; Racine, 5111; Kenosha, 3455;
Janesville, 3451; Waukesha, 2313; Platteville, 2197,
and Fond du Lac, 2014. Besides these there are Beloit,
Madison, Green Bay, Ozaukee, Mineral Point, Oshkosh,
Watertown, Sheboygan, and Manitowoc, having
populations of from 2000 to 4000 each.

Face of the Country.-Wisconsin may be described
generally as an elevated rolling prairie, from 600 to
1200 feet above the level of the sea. The highest
portion of this plateau is on the N., and forms the
dividing ridge between the waters flowing S. W. into
the Mississippi, and those flowing N. into Lake
Superior. The southern slope is again interrupted
about the middle of the state by another ridge, giving
origin to a second slope, drained by Rock river and
its branches. This state has no mountains, properly so
called. The descent towards Lake Superior is very
abrupt, and the rivers full of rapids and falls, which
interrupt navigation, but afford valuable mill sites.
There is a third ridge or elevation in the S. E.,
dividing the watercourses of Lake Michigan from those
of Green bay. Just below the second ridge, a
depression crosses the state, forming the bed of the
Neenah or Fox river and the Lower Wisconsin. When the
rivers are unusually full, these actually communicate,
though running in opposite directions, the one to the
Mississippi, and the other to Lake Michigan. Limestone
underlies most of the southern part of the state-the
cliff limestone in the mineral districts, and the blue
elsewhere. The northern part seems to be composed of
primitive rocks, for the most part of granite, slate,
and sandstone. Commencing a little S. of the
Wisconsin, and along the Mississippi, as far back as
the falls of its tributaries, sandstone, between
layers of limestone, is the prevailing rock, and forms
the cliffs on the Mississippi, below St. Anthony's
falls, for 35 miles. The rivers in this region are
much obstructed by shifting beds of this sand. From
Lake Michigan westward to the other sections named, is
a limestone region, in many parts well timbered, while
in others a considerable portion is prairie.
Underlying the blue limestone is a brown sandstone,
which crops out on the sides of the hills, but no lead
has ever been found in it. A section through Blue
Mound would give the following result, descending
vertically:-Hornstone, 410 feet; magnesian lime, or
lead-bearing rock, 169 feet; saccharoid sandstone, 40
feet; sandstone, 3 feet; lower limestone, (at the
level of the Wisconsin,) 190 feet. The elevations of
different parts of the southern section of the state
are given by Chancellor Lathrop, at Blue Mounds, 1170;
head waters of the Rock river, 316; egress of the same
river from the state, 128, and the portage between the
Fox and Wisconsin rivers, at 223 feet above the level
of Lake Michigan and the Wisconsin river.

Geology.-Following the map accompanying the geological
work of Professor Owen on the States of Iowa and
Wisconsin, and the Territory of Minnesota, we should
say that about half the northern part of the State of
Wisconsin, resting on Lake Superior, and having its
apex near the 44th degree of N. lat. and about the
middle of the state, (taken in an E. and W.
direction,) is covered by drift, overlying the Potsdam
sandstone of New York and metamorphic strata, with
occasional protrusions of granite and other igneous
rocks. Beyond this triangle, on the S. E. and S. W.,
the sandstone comes to the surface in a broad belt,
having between it and the Mississippi, (from the St.
Croix to the Wisconsin river,) a second belt of lower
magnesian limestone, with the sandstone occasionally
laid bare in the valleys of the streams. This same
formation is continued on the S., (following the
Wisconsin river on both sides,) and on the E.,
coasting the sandstone belt to its full extent. The
limestone is followed in turn by another zone of white
sandstone, containing beds of shells. Next succeeds
the lead-bearing group of upper magnesian limestone,
extending into Illinois and Iowa on the S. and W., and
on the E. running up into the peninsula formed by
Green bay and Lake Michigan, having a triangle of the
Niagara limestone between it and Lake Michigan on the
S. E. On the shores of Lake Superior are two beds of
red clay and marl, separated by ridges of drift from
300 to 600 feet high. East of this, and just where the
northern boundary leaves the lake, parallel groups of
conglomerate red sandstone and slates, trap, and
metamorphic slates, with beds of magnetic iron ore,
granite, and quartzose rocks come to the surface.

Minerals.-Part of the great lead region extending from
Illinois and Iowa is included in the S. W. part of
Wisconsin, and is no less rich in the quantity and
quality of its ore than in the other states where it
lies. The lead is here intermingled with copper and
zinc in considerable quantities, together with some
silver. In Lapointe, Chippewa, St. Croix, and Iowa
counties, copper is found; in Dodge county, and on the
Black river and other branches of the Mississippi,
good iron ore occurs. The other metallic substances
are magnetic iron, iron pyrites, and graphite or
plumbago. The non-metallic earths are agate,
coruelians, (found on the shores of the small lakes,)
bitumen, peat, marble of fine quality, lime, quartz,
some gypsum, saltpetre, sulphates of barytes,
porphyry, and coal in small quantities. A vein of
copper ore was discovered in 1848, near the Kickspoo
river, which yields about 20 per cent. of copper, but
to what extent the bed runs has not been ascertained.
Mines were also worked at the falls of Black river and
in its vicinity, but they have been abandoned. Facts
do not justify any expectation of great deposits of
copper in the N. W. part of the state. A great bed of
magnetic iron ore lies south of Lake Superior, near
Tyler's fork of the Bad river, in strata of
metamorphic slate. In 1850, 569,921 pigs of lead were
shipped from Dubuque and Mineral Point; but 778,460 in
1845,. Beautiful varieties of marble have been
recently discovered, or made known to the public in
the N. part of Wisconsin. According to Messrs. Foster
and Whitney's report, they are found on the Michigamig
and Menomonee rivers, and afford beautiful marbles,
whose prevailing color is light pink traversed by
veins or seams of deep red. Others are blue and dove-
colored, beautifully veined. These are susceptible of
a fine polish, and some on the Menomonee are within
navigable distance from New York.

Lakes and Rivers.-Besides the great Lakes Superior and
Michigan, which lave its northern and eastern shores,
Wisconsin has a number of small lakes. The principal
of these is Lake Winnebago, S. E. from the middle of
the state. It is about 28 miles long and 10 miles
wide, and communicates with Green bay, (a N. W. arm of
Lake Michigan,) through the Fox, or Neenah river.
These small lakes are most abundant in the N. W., and
are generally characterized by clear water and
gravelly bottoms, often with bold picturesque shores,
crowned with hemlock, spruce, and other trees. They
afford excellent fish. In the shallow waters on the
margins of some of them grows wild rice, an important
article of food with the savages of this region. The
rivers which traverse the interior flow generally in a
S. W. direction, and discharge their waters into the
Mississippi. The latter river runs along the S. W.
border of Wisconsin for more than 200 miles.
Commencing at the S., we have, in the following order,
Wisconsin, Bad Axe, Black, and Chippewa rivers. Of
these the most important is the Wisconsin, which has a
course of probably 200 miles, almost directly S. when
it flows nearly west for about 100 more. The Chippews
is about 200, and the Black 150 miles long. The Rock,
Des Plaines, and Fox river (of Illinois) drain the S.
E. slope of the state, and pass off into Illinois. The
Fox, or Neenah, is the outlet of Winnebago lake, and
connects it with Green bay. The Wolf, from the N., is
the main feeder of the same lake. The Menomonee,
emptying into Green bay, and the Montreal, into Lake
Superior, are rapid streams, which are valuable for
mill sites. They form part of the N. E. boundary. The
Menomonee has a descent of 1049 feet. The St. Louis,
(considered as the primary source of the St.
Lawrence,) coasts this state for 20 or 30 miles on the
N. W., and is full of rapids and falls in this part of
its course. These rivers are not generally favorable
to navigation without artificial aid. The Wisconsin
may be ascended by steamboats to the rapids, where it
approaches a tributary of Lake Winnebago, within a
mile and a half, where a canal is being constructed,
which, when completed, will open an entire inland
navigation from New York to the Upper Mississippi. The
Rock river is sometimes at high water ascended by
boats to within the limits of Wisconsin. The Bad Axe,
Black, Chippewa, and St. Croix are important channels
for floating timber to market from the pine regions in
the N. W. of the state. The rivers flowing into Lake
Superior are small, and though unfavorable for
commerce, their rapid courses make them valuable for
mill sites. Colonel Long estimates that the Chippewa,
Black, Wisconsin, and Rock rivers are respectively
capable of a steamboat navigation of 70, 60, 180, and
250 miles, but at present they are a good deal
obstructed by shifting sands and rapids.

Objects of Interest to Tourists.-Wisconsin, though
young in political existence, is not behind her sister
states in objects of interest, not merely for the
utilitarian, but for the lover of the picturesque, and
even the antiquary. Scattered over her undulating
Mains are found earth-works, modelled after the forms
of men and animals, that are evidently the work of a
race different from those who possessed the country at
the period of the arrival of the Europeans. At
Aztalan, in Jefferson county, is an ancient
fortification, 550 yards long, 275 wide, with walls 4
or 5 feet high, and more than 20 feet thick at the
base. Another work, resembling a man in a recumbent
position, 120 feet long and 30 across the trunk, is to
be seen near the Blue Mounds; and one resembling a
turtle, 56 feet in length, at Prairieville. These
artificial works are generally without order, but
sometimes have a systematic arrangement, with
fragments of pottery often scattered around. Some are
so defaced as to make it difficult to trace the animal
resemblances referred to, while others are distinctly
visible. One is said to have been discovered near
Cassville, resembling the extinct mastodon. Among the
most striking natural objects are the Blue Mounds, in
Dane county, the highest of which has an elevation of
1170 feet above the Wisconsin, and is a prominent
landmark in this country of prairies. Platte and other
mounds in the S. W. of the state, have various
elevations of from 60 to more than 100 feet. Devil's
lake, covering an area of 600 acres, occupies the
summit of a mound 300 feet high. This state shares
with Minnesota the beautiful lake Pepin, an expansion
of the Mississippi, mostly walled in by precipitous
shores, which rise at Maiden's Rock to 400 feet, (200
of which are perpendicular magnesian limestone rock,)
to 500 below the outlet of the lake, and 330 above its
commencement. These heights are merely given as
examples, not as the only ones there are. Almost all
the rivers of Wisconsin abound in rapids and falls.
The most remarkable of these are a series of cascades
or cataracts in the St. Louis river, extending through
a space of sixteen miles, and terminating about 20
miles from its mouth. The entire descent is about 320
feet. The fall, however, at any one pitch is not more
than 140 feet; but there are two others of 50 and 80
feet respectively. Quinnessec falls in the Menomonee
river have one perpendicular pitch of 40 feet, and an
entire descent of 134 feet in one mile and a half,
besides several other rapids, where the river tosses
and dashes through narrow and tortuous defiles. Among
the other falls, are St. Croix, Chippewa, and Big Bull
falls in the Wisconsin. The river bluffs present grand
and picturesque views in many places, particularly at
Mount Trempleau, on the Mississippi, in La Crosse
county, where the rocks rise 500 feet perpendicularly
above the river,-in Richland county, on the Wisconsin,
where the banks are from 150 to 200 feet high,-and in
Sauk county, where it passes through a narrow gorge
between cliffs of from 400 to 500 feet elevation. This
state abounds in picturesque objects, in waterfalls,
rapids, bluffs, and beautiful lakes, with clear water
and gravelly bottoms. Grandfather Bull falls, the
greatest rapids in the Wisconsin river, are in about
45° N. lat., and are a series of small cascades or
rapids, breaking through a ridge of 150 feet
perpendicular height, for the distance of one mile and
a half. In this vicinity are a number of chalybeate
springs. On the same river, near the 44th parallel of
N. lat. is Patenwell Peak, an oval mass of rock, 900
feet long by 300 wide, and 200 in elevation above the
neighboring country, of which it commands an extensive
view. About 70 feet of this, at the top, is composed
of perpendicular rock, split into towers, turrets, &c.
A few miles below this is Fortification rock, which
rises to the height of 100 feet or more above the
general level being perpendicular on one side, while
on the other it descends by a succession of terraces
to the common level. At the Dallas the Wisconsin is
compressed for 5 or 6 miles between red sandstone
hills, from 25 feet to 120 feet high, and an average
of 100 feet asunder. Between the Dallas and the mouth
of the river, the bluffs are of every variety of
height under 400 feet.

Climate.-This thriving state, which has surpassed
every other, except California, in the unexampled
rapidity of its growth, is the theme of almost
unmingled praise of the tourist and the emigrant from
every part of Europe and America. Its beautiful lakes
rolling prairies, swelling uplands, and "oak
openings," (i.e. lands covered with a scattered growth
of oak,) fertile soil, its fine angling, abundance of
game, and healthy climate, tempt thither alike the
permanent settler, the sportsman, and the lover of the
picturesque. The climate, though severe, and the
winters long, is more regular and more free from those
frequent and unhealthy changes that prevail farther
south. The lakes, too, exert a mitigating influence,
the temperature being 6 1/2o higher on the lake than
on the Mississippi side. The lake shore is also more
moist, but the state generally is drier than in the
same parallels farther east. From records kept between
1835 and 1845, it appears the Milwaukee river was
closed on an average from November 22d to March 26;
and steamboats arrived at Mineral Point from February
26 to April 16, closing from November 16 to December
4. The diseases consequent upon clearing lands are
less frequent, it is said, in this than other new
states, owing to the open nature of the country in the
oak openings. The number of deaths in the year ending
June, 1850, were 2884, or less than 10 in every
thousand persons-while Massachusetts had about 20.

Soil and Productions.-The country south of the middle
is a fine agricultural region. In the mineral
district, W. of the Pekatonica, the country is broken,
but, what is unusual in mining tracts, generally well
adapted to farming, and especially grazing. But
probably the best agricultural section is that E. of
the Pekatonica, which has more prairie land, though
even here is a considerable portion of timbered land
on the rivers and streams. The agricultural
capabilities of the northern part of the state, around
the head waters of the Black and Chippewa rivers, and
the sources of the rivers emptying into Lake Superior,
are small, the surface in part being covered with
drift and boulders, and partly with ponds and marshes.
The agricultural staples of this state are wheat,
Indian corn, oats, Irish potatoes, butter, and live
stock, besides considerable quantities of rye, wool,
beans, peas, barley, buckwheat, maple sugar, beeswax,
honey, cheese, and hay, with some sweet potatoes,
tobacco, fruits, wine, grass-seeds, hops, flax, and
hemp. There were in 1850, 20,177 farms in Wisconsin,
containing 1,045,499 acres of improved land; and in
1850, there were produced 4,286,131 bushels of wheat;
3,414,672 of oats; 1,988,970 of Indian corn; 1,402,077
of Irish potatoes; 3,633,750 pounds of butter; 610,976
of maple sugar; 275,662 tons of hay; and live stock to
the value of $4,897,385.

Forest Trees.-There are vast forests of pine on the
Upper Wisconsin, the Wolf river, and the tributaries
of the Mississippi, N. of the Wisconsin. The other
forest trees are spruce, tamarac, cedar, oak of
different species, birch, aspen, basswood, hickory,
elm, ash, hemlock, poplar, sycamore, and sugar-maple.
The oak openings already described form a pleasing
feature in the landscapes of Wisconsin.

The wild animals are black bears, prairie wolves, gray
wolves, foxes, woodchucks, and the gopher, which is
found only on the west side, near the Mississippi
river. The last named animal is very destructive to
the roots of fruit-trees.

Manufactures.-This youthful state has not yet had time
(nor is it yet her most profitable resource) to test
her manufacturing capabilities. In 1850 there were
1273 establishments, each producing $500 and upwards
annually, of which 16, with a capital of $131,350, and
employing 288 male hands, were engaged in the
manufacture of iron, consuming raw material worth
$95,186, and producing 4343 tons of pig, iron
castings, &c., valued at $243,195; and 9 woollen
manufactories, employing $31,225 capital, and 25 male
hands, consuming raw material worth $32,630, and
producing 87,992 yards of stuff, and 74,350 pounds of
yarn, worth a total value of $87,992; and $98,700,
invested in manufacturing malt and spirituous liquors,
consuming 91,020 bushels of barley, 29,900 of Indian
corn, 9200 of rye, and 28 tons of hops, and producing
127,000 gallons of whiskey, &c., and 31,320 barrels of
ale, beer, &c. The numerous rivers and streams of
Wisconsin, with their frequent rapids and falls,
afford great facilities for mill sites of every sort,
and bar forests and iron for ship and steamboat
building. Mr. Hunt, in his Gazetteer, estimates the
manufacture of pine lumber at 400,000,000 feet,
besides which large quantities of oak and basswood are
sawed into scantling, plank, lath, &c. He also gives
the number of barrels of flour manufactured at
100,000, (independent of all kinds of mill stuffs in
abundance,) of paper, 300,000 pounds, and of shot,
100,000 pounds annually.

Internal Improvements.-A canal is being constructed
from the Wisconsin to the Fox river, with funds
arising from the sale of land appropriated by the
national government, though under state supervision.
This, when completed, will open an uninterrupted
inland navigation from New Orleans to New York. In
January, 1852, there were 20 miles of railway
completed, and 421 in course of construction. Plank
and trunk roads are also being laid from the lake
depôts towards the interior. The Milwaukee and
Mississippi railway was completed, October, 1853, to
Janesville; a railroad is nearly finished to connect
Fond du Lac and Janesville; the Milwaukee aud La
Crosse railroad, extending from Milwaukee to the
Mississippi river, is in progress; one also from
Racine to Janesville is in course of construction; and
one is nearly completed from Milwaukee to Chicago,
along the lake shore. Many other railways are in
course of construction, and a great number are
projected: and in this youthful and vigorous state, as
action follows thought with but small intervals, they
will no doubt soon be commenced.

Commerce.-Wisconsin enjoys great facilities for
internal trade, communicating by the great lakes with
Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and
the Canadas, and by the Mississippi and its
tributaries with various parts of the Mississippi
valley, and even with the Atlantic ports through the
Gulf of Mexico. There were 9 vessels built in
Wisconsin in 1852, with a tonnage of 555 6/9 3/5. The
entire tonnage of the state for the same year was 6931
4/9 4/5. Tonnage entered, 1,250,000; cleared, the
same. The entire commerce of the district of Milwaukee
(including the ports of Sheboygan, Port Washington,
Kenosha, and Racine,) was, imports of the value of
$19,560,713, and exports, $4,564,779. The leading
articles of export were wheat and other grains, flour,
hides, wool, lead, lumber, brick, ashes, beef, pork,
&c. According to an article in De Bow's Review for
January, 1853, there were in 1851-2 exported from the
St. Croix, Chippewa, and Black rivers, in the N. W.
part of Wisconsin, 61,000,000 feet of lumber;
23,000,000 feet of logs; square timber, lath,
shingles, &c., valued at $30,000; and furs and
peltries worth $200,000; making the value of exports
for the western part of the state, $1,170,000. The
ports of Wisconsin in the district of Mackinac
probably add at least a value of $5,000,000 to the
trade of Wisconsin. The total lumber trade of 1852 has
been given at 211,000,000 feet, viz. from Black river,
15,000,000; Chippewa, 28,500,000; Green bay,
28,000,000; Manitoowoc, 24,500,000; St. Croix,
20,000,000; Wisconsin, 70,000,000; and Wolf river,
25,000,000. The total valuation of lead exported from
Galena (nine-tenths of which, according to Hunt's
Gazetteer of Wisconsin, was from that state) and the
ports on Lake Michigan, was $3,459,075; besides
considerable quantities shipped from points on the
Mississippi and Wisconsin rivers. The largest shipment
of lead within the eleven years preceding 1852 was
51,114,829 pounds; the lowest, 29,424,329 pounds.

Education.-In the year ending August, 1851, there were
111,431 children in Wisconsin, of whom 79,869 attended
school. There were in August, 1852, in the state, 2763
school districts, in which were 1664 school houses,
mostly frame or log, and valued at $261,986.32. The
capital of the school fund in December, 1852, was
$819,200.50. It is expected that ere long the lands
appropriated for the support of schools will form a
fund of from $3,000,000 to $5,000,000. Public
instruction is under the charge of a state
superintendent, receiving $1000 per annum. There have
been granted for the support of a state university,
46,080 acres of land. There are also other colleges
and academies supported by private subscriptions,
which are promising institutions.

Religious Denominations.-In Wisconsin the most
numerous religious body is the Roman Catholics, who
have 57 churches; Methodists, 54; Congregationalists,
33; Baptists, 28; Presbyterians, 21; Episcopalians,
19; and Lutheruns, 18. Besides these, there are some
Christians, Dutch Reformed, Free, Union,
Universalists, &c.,-giving 1 church to every 1250
inhabitants. Value of church property, $350,600.

Public Institutions.-The Wisconsin Institute for the
Education of the Blind was opened at Janesville in
1850, and the number of pupils in December, 1851, was
16. It is supported by a tax of one-fifteenth of a
mill on every dollar. A state prison has been erected
at Waupun, in Fond da Lac county. There were 35 public
libraries, containing an aggregate of 7163 volumes,
and 2163 volumes in school libraries in 1850.

Government, Finances, Banks, &c.-The governor is
elected by the people for 2 years, and receives $1250
per annum. Wisconsin has also a lieutenant-governor,
elected for a like period, who is ex officio president
of the senate, and receives $5 a day during the
session of the legislature. The senate consists of
members, and the house of representatives of 82; the
former elected by the people for 2 years, and the
latter annually. The state has an emigrant officer
resident in New York city. The judiciary consists-1.
Of a supreme court, composed of 3 judges; 2. Of
circuit courts, which hold two sessions a year in each
county; and 3. Of county courts and justices of the
peace. (Except to issue writs of mandamus, quo
warranto, &c., the supreme court is only an appeal
court, and has no jury trials.) All judges are elected
by the people, the supreme and circuit judges for 6
years, and the county judges for 4. The supreme judges
receive salaries of $2000, and the circuit judges
$1500 per annum each. The assessed value of property
in Wisconsin in 1850 was $26,715,525; estimated value,
$42,056,595, and $46,262,254 in 1852. State debt in
1852, none. Annual expenses, exclusive of schools and
debt, $20,000. There was but 1 bank in January, 1852,
with a capital of $225,000, a circulation of $250,000,
and $100,000 in coin.

History.-Wisconsin was visited at a very early period
by the French missionaries and discoverers, and a
settlement made by the French in the latter part of
the seventeenth century. There was no considerable
influx of emigration, however, till quite recently but
it is likely to repay amply for its tardiness, by the
unexampled rapidity with which emigration flows
thither, invited by its rich soil, valuable minerals,
beautiful lakes, and rolling prairies. Wisconsin was
formed into a territory in 1836, and admitted into the
Union as an independent state in 1848.