Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1924-12-10
HOW WISCONSIN
DERIVED TITLE
BADGER STATE
Scoffers Gave Early Miners
Derisive Term.-Nick-
name Has Stuck.

ndIkLE 11CS 0CANNs
Fairly prospectors of Southern Wis
oonein who dug deep holes in the
ground in search of mining veins, are
responsible for the term badger as
now applied to residents OF the state
Theree were those among the early
ea+tIers who scoffed at the prospec-
TORS who wasted so much time in dig
ping and they came to generally de-
-ided and ieered as badgers. Ihelr
1badoer holes" sometimes served as
homes of their settlers and their faln-
lilies for months, and often became
the nucleus of a town. :,
At least that is the way Moses M.
Strong. Mineral Point, one OF the most
,n+ohIa nioneers of the state, ex-
oIainad the origin of the term in
letter Of Dec. 10, 1879, just discovered
az tho Wisconsin historical library.
The letter reads:
"Whatever | know or the term
4Radgers' is traditional, and may not
entirely correct.
Miners Came to State First.
at L known that, with the excep-
zion If tbe military posts of Fort
Howard Fort Crawford and Fort
Winnebago. a few missionary stations
and the persons connected WIN the
Trdian trade. the whole of what now
constitutes the state of Wisconsin, was
entirely destitute of white inhabitants
until about 1885, except those VINO
had been attracted hither by the
fame of the lead mines.
"The lead mines were inhabited Tor
about ten years previous to this Time
nv a class of adventures, many OF
whom we're itinerant, and few OF
whom. comparatively, had any hxed
intention of remaining permanently:
"The badger is a plantigrade quad
ruined (Taxes or Meles) with short
thick legs. and long claws on the
forefeet It's most distinguishing
characteristic is it's natural propen-
sitv to burrow in the ground, where
1t dige a subterranean residence, OF
ten to a great depth below the sur
face. in which most of its existence is
spent. In the earlier settlement OF
the mines, these animals were very
numerous. and their flesh was used
nv the miners as food and their skins
for caps. The badger is a solitary
animal. that retires from the approach
of man, and they are now rarely to
be seen.
No Time TO Build Shelters.
"It was the custom of the earlier
itinerant adventures to the mines to
go-two together-as 'pards'-to be-
gin a prospect in new and unex-
pIored parts of the country where
neither food nor shelter could be OBJ
tanned; taking with them the few
tools necessary. Having fixed on the
site, the first effort was to obtain a
shelter. Their limited means and the
uncertainty of the duration Of its oc-
cupancy forbade that any time or ex-
pense more than absolutely indispen-
sable should be devoted to providing
their precarious abode.
Following the Badger" Habits.
The result in general, was an 1ml-
tation of the habits of the badger by
digging a hole into a side-hill; ex-
temporizing for a roof, rocks or sod,
or both of such dimensions as would
suffice for two to sleep in, and to
cook their frugal meals. If the miner
did not succeed in finding good dig
gings' near the site thus selected, 1t
was abandoned But in many instan-
ces, the prospect proved to be a
lead and the 'badger-hOle' was oc-
cupied as a residence for a long time
and often replaced by a comfortable
house, and was sometimes the nue.
leus of a hamlet or village:
! 1.-THE term ger'-according to
tradition-was first applfedtto the oc-
cupants of these temporary rstIbter-
ranean residences in derision-as the
term Sucker" was applied to the mi-
gratory inhabitants Of Southern II
linois who like the fish of the carp
family, came to the. mines in. the
spring. and returned on the epproach
of winter-and afterward to all the
inhabitants OF the 1ead-mine. region,
and by a not unpopular adaptation
has been applied to the people of the
state and to the state itSelf'y
State Flag Provided.
In this connection it is interesting
to know that Wisconsin also has g
state flag. It was provided for by an
act of legislature in days gone. by.
The following is a description of. the
flag as taken from the Civil war.leg7
islative Journals:
TO he Of. dtnk. blue silk. with the
arms Of the state of Wisconsin painted
or embroidered in silk on the diverse
side, and the aIms.r.ofs the, United
States, as prescribed lin. para graph
1885 .of new army regulations! to
be painted or .eEnbroidereds'fn silk on
the reverse side; the name -of the
regiment VIXEN used as a regimental
flag, to be in scroll beneath the
state arms. / 4.
The size Of the ,regimental colors
to be six feet six inches fly and six
feet deep on the pike; the length of
pike, for said, colors, including spear
and ferrule, to be, nine feet ten inches
the fringe yellow. cords land tassels
blue and white silk intermixed."
Recently number. of state flags
were prepared by III. W>.Rood. former
~ OF the G. A., R department of the
capitol, and a picture of the flag in
all its coiors is tc be published in the
Wisconsin Blue book this winter.
The Kiwanis club entertains the
football squad ait a bannuet at Grant