Traveling by carriage in the middle of January to this historic location conjures up images of Asaph Whittlesey, the founder of Ashland.
It was January 1860, and armed with a pistol, a pair of goggles and a burning desire to ensure the northland's voice was heard in the state legislature, Asaph Whittlesey set out on snowshoes from Ashland to the nearest train station located in Sparta -- a 240 mile trek.
Upon entering a Sparta tavern, Whittlesey was warmed by the same Wisconsin hospitality that continues to greet travelers today. Trading in his buckskins and goggles for a suit donated by the men in the tavern, he boarded a train to represent the lake superior country in Madison.
Whittlesey braved bone-chilling winds, and persevered against below zero temperatures and blinding snow to take part in the greatest human experiment ever devised....democracy.
If anyone ever deserved to collect a per diem, it was Asaph Whittlesey.
Mr. Speaker, I refer to Asaph Whittlesey because of his dogged determination to do the people's work, but equally for his penchant to carry a firearm.
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Given the rambunctious and often partisan nature of this house, I hope no one gets too involved in the spirit of the event and brandishes a pistol to reenact the Vineyard-Arndt shooting of 1842. At least while I'm here.
Besides the period clothing, then-Governor James Doty and I have something else in common following the assassination -- not one but two open seats in the legislature -- and both of them vacated by Democrats.
The carriage ride and the beauty of the Belmont area made it easy to drift further back in time as Wisconsin took many different shapes before statehood.
In fact, if it wasn't for the determination of Ohio to have access to the Great Lakes, the upper peninsula may have become part of our territory -- an expanse that stretched from the Dakotas to Missouri's northern border and encompassing all of Iowa and Minnesota.
Prior to gaining territorial status, we bounced from the Indiana Territory, to the Illinois Territory and finally the Michigan Territory.
To exclude Wisconsin in their future plans was shortsighted.
While the Colts, Bears and Lions are sitting home a week from Sunday, the Green Bay Packers will be in San Diego capturing yet another Super Bowl Title.
It is with that same championship enthusiasm that I address this distinguished body in this venue.
Our presence today in Belmont, the site of Wisconsin's first territorial capitol, reflects the monumental significance this site holds on a historic journey that began long ago.
If only these walls could talk. These walls would tell us fascinating stories of true trailblazers. For it was here in Belmont, in this very building, that Wisconsin's founding fathers charted a course for Wisconsin's future.
And it is here that we gather, in the year of our sesquicentennial, to begin a celebration of the fortitude that culminated in the formation of our great state...the Wisconsin Spirit.
On the eve of statehood, J. McMullen, a settler from Sheboygan put pen to paper and conveyed to an eastern companion the destiny of America's newborn.
On May 2, 1848, he wrote: "The people have adopted a constitution and in a few months Wisconsin will take its place among the glorious states of our republic. It will by no means be an insignificant one.
With her green ocean-like prairies, the unequalled fertility of her soils, and facilities for commerce, she will become not only the `Garden of the West,' but also the richest, fairest land in our broad country from the Atlantic to the Pacific."
Uncommon words from the common man. They are a settler's thoughts, his dreams and his visions of the Wisconsin that was yet to be.
His excitement was indicative of the people that inhabited this land. They were true leaders. Pioneers who not only tamed the forests and tilled the soil, but pioneers in education and public policy, commerce, agriculture, transportation, the arts and sciences, and sports.
So as we celebrate 150 years of Wisconsin statehood, we must also celebrate 150 years of Wisconsin leadership.
Leaders like Alexander Gallagher of Oshkosh, who in 1878 raced his way to fame between Green Bay and Madison in the first automobile race in history.
Although Gallagher traveled at the blinding speed of 6 miles per hour, Wisconsin was certainly going places.
And there was Ole Evinrude of Milwaukee, who was so upset over his ice cream melting while rowing to his favorite picnic site, he invented the first gasoline powered outboard motor in 1910.
Ole's motor made it possible for Louis Spray to land the world record 69 pound 11 ounce muskellunge caught on the Chippewa flowage in the Musky Capitol of the World.
Wisconsin's great outdoors are enjoyed by sportsmen and nature enthusiasts alike due to the advocacy of people like Aldo Leopold and John Muir.
Our long and proud tradition of conservationism includes America's first environmental program designed to purchase and manage natural areas for research, education and preservation.
We also have the distinction of the first state in the nation to ban DDT and enact a comprehensive recycling law.
While you're vacationing in the majestic northland, stop and relax with a hamburger, which first tickled taste buds in Seymour. And wash it down with a malted milk, first blended in Wisconsin in 1883.
Our records of achievement have been chronicled for posterity due to the ingenuity of Christopher Latham Sholes, who invented the first typewriter in 1869.
The Milwaukee Public Museum kindly lent us a model of Shole's first typewriter for display at today's event.
Remarkably, the original key arrangement is still used today.
Incidentally, Sholes was a reporter by trade, which makes it difficult for me to understand why after 129 years of using the same keystrokes the media still have problems writing an accurate story.
The Wisconsin media has its own story to tell. WHA is the oldest radio station in the country.
The invention of the typewriter would one-day make it easier for education leaders like Margarethe Meyer Schurz to develop lesson plans. Schurz, of course, developed the nation's first kindergarten in Watertown in 1856.
Kindergarten was literally an educational first step for the state, followed by implementing the nation's first system of state support for vocational, technical and adult education in 1911.
The University of Wisconsin went on to be the first state university in the country to offer extension courses, establish an agricultural research station and a department of agricultural economics.
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The university of Wisconsin system produced ingenious instructors like professor Stephen Babcock, who invented the Babcock milk tester, which revolutionized our dairy industry and ushered in an era as the nation's leader in the production of cheese and milk...and the title of America's Dairyland.
And everyone knows that Babcock Hall ice cream is the best in the country.
The benefits of a Wisconsin education are everywhere, including Hollywood. Celebrities like Charles Lindbergh, Harrison Ford and Steve Miller all studied in the state. In fact, many celebrities call Wisconsin home.
Kenosha native Don Ameche, Citizen Kane's Orson Wells, Jill Eikenberry of L.A. law, two-time academy award winner Spencer Tracy, Liberace, Daniel J. Travanti, Tyne Daly, Fred Macmurray and the late Chris Farley.
The stars of television and the silver screen share center stage with the Ringling Brothers' "World's Greatest Show" and the man who thrilled audiences around the world with his death defying escape acts, Appleton's own, Harry Houdini.
And a music revolution was ushered in by Les Paul, the "Wizard of Waukesha," who invented the electric guitar.
Revolutions come in all shapes and sizes -- including ability, race and gender.
Leading the fight against discrimination includes the distinction of being the first state in the nation to prohibit the unlawful discrimination of handicapped people and using nationality or race as a basis for hiring teachers.
How apropos that the Outagamie County Township of Freedom was co-founded by Andy Jackson, an African American.
Upon organization of the town, citizens voted to name it Jackson, after the former slave, but when told of the honor Andy said, "no gentlemen. Call it freedom, because here's where I got my freedom."
And just 35 miles west of here is another historic site -- Beetown and the community of Pleasant Ridge, founded in 1848 by former slaves.
But freedom represents more than a community for the people of this state - black or white.
Wisconsin's definition of freedom included a passage for the Underground Railroad. It meant a commitment of more than 91,000 who donned the union uniform and the more than 12,000 who made the ultimate sacrifice defending what it stood for.
One in nine Wisconsin men joined the boys in blue, one of the highest ratios per capita in the union. And they fought with such valor that General Sherman T. Williams proclaimed, "a Wisconsin regiment was worth a brigade from any other state."
Valor and honor certainly describes Milwaukee native General Douglas MacArthur, when he reminded America that "Old soldiers never die, they just fade away."
MacArthur, true to his word, returned to the Philippines and succeeded in forcing the Japanese surrender through the aid and firepower of Wisconsin's 32nd division.
11 medals of honor, 157 distinguished service cross medals and 11,500 purple hearts, the 32nd remains one of the most decorated divisions in United States military history.
From the battlefields in Antietam, to the foxholes of Europe and jungles of Asia, to the miles upon miles of endless sand in desert storm, our fight for freedom has been equaled only by our fight for equality.
Wisconsin's ratification of the 19th amendment granting women the right to vote was the first approval to reach Congress in 1919, and we were the first state in the country to pass a law eliminating legal discrimination of women in 1921.
No surprise from a state that is recognized around the world as a laboratory for visionary social reforms and public policy initiatives; including the distinction of being the first state to provide aid to the disabled, the first worker and unemployment compensation laws, and true welfare reform.
Today, in strong and growing numbers, America's symbol of freedom flies triumphantly over America's state -- just as Old Abe did as he led the 8th regiment home from the civil war.
Our journey has endured many battles and challenges. It has also captured the excitement of a new century, survived a great depression, stood victorious through two world wars, and dreamt the impossible as man walked upon the surface of the moon.
Through it all we fulfilled a destiny to lead, as J. McMullen eloquently predicted in his letter of so long ago.
As we venture into a new century, let's begin the next leg of our journey by rediscovering Wisconsin through the eyes of Father Marquette on his historic waterway of discovery.
From there we'll carry our spirit of leadership all the way to the nation's capitol on the back of a Wisconsin legend...a Harley Davidson motorcycle.
I encourage each of you and all Wisconsin residents to participate in these and the hundreds of sesquicentennial events that celebrate our heritage and culture.
A new era of Wisconsin leadership begins today.
We must build upon the foundation inspired in this building to ensure that the next 150 years are filled with hope, promise and opportunity for each and every Wisconsin citizen.
It is our responsibility as citizens of this great state to carry our proud tradition of leadership forward...as our motto demands. Our actions, our purpose, and our contributions must be as visionary as our founding fathers.
Our role is neither to lead people to water nor make them drink, but rather to make them thirsty...
And may the people of Wisconsin's thirst to be the leaders of this great nation never be quenched. Thank you."
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Executive Communications
January 14, 1998
To My Friends In The Wisconsin State Assembly:
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In honor of our State's Sesquicentennial, I am pleased and honored to resubmit to you Governor Dodge's original message on Statehood. The Will of the People certainly was spoken when Governor Dodge gave this most important message that enabled Wisconsin to become the 30th State admitted to the Union.
As we begin our sesquicentennial year, may we each recommit our time, talents and effort to continue to make Wisconsin the best state in the nation.
Sincerely,
Tommy G. Thompson
Governor
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The lands granted by Congress for schools and a university will not be available until after the admission of Wisconsin as a state. Five per centum on the net proceeds of the sales of the public lands sold at the land offices in this territory, to which the state of Wisconsin will be entitled on her admission into the Union, would have paid the expenses of the state government for the last five years.
The people of this territory have paid into the United States treasury, since the organization of the territorial government, near four million of dollars in payment for the public lands; and the amount appropriated by Congress for the improvement of harbors and roads, etc. in the territory is one hundred and sixty-seven thousand dollars. This state of things will remain as long as the territorial government exists.
The states of Illinois and Missouri were admitted members of the Union when the population of those states did not exceed one hundred and thirty thousand inhabitants. In the admission of all the western states none of them had a population equal to the present population of the territory of Wisconsin. The future state of Wisconsin will combine as many advantages as any other portion of the United States. Her great extent of territory; the fertility of her soil; the salubrity of her climate; with commercial advantages unsurpassed on our inland seas and navigable rivers; her inexhaustible mineral wealth, composed of lead, iron, and copper mines, with the most extensive pine lumber region in the United States; with an intelligent, enterprising population—may we not confidently hope that Wisconsin will be the happy abode of millions of freemen, and that her march will be onward until she fills the high destiny that awaits her.
The present Legislative Assembly having been convened for a special purpose, I have not deemed the present an appropriate occasion to make any suggestions, except in relation to the organization of state government.
Be assured, fellow citizens, you will have my cooperation in the support of all such measures as will promote the good of the people you represent.
HENRY DODGE
Executive Department, October 18, 1847
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