2003 Assembly Joint Resolution 69
ENROLLED JOINT RESOLUTION
Relating to: proclaiming February 27, 2004, Green Bay Day in Wisconsin.
Whereas, Jean Nicolet discovered the Green Bay area in 1634, just 14 years after the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, making it the oldest settlement in Wisconsin; and
Whereas, Nicolet named the bay "La Baie Verte" because of its greenish color, but first it was La Baie des Puants — the Bay of the Stinking Water; and
Whereas, when Nicolet arrived, the area's inhabitants were the Winnebagos, a Sioux-speaking tribe; and
Whereas, it was with the Winnebagos that Nicolet spent the winter, exploring the waterway beyond La Baie, and forming alliances important to commerce, before returning to Quebec in 1635; and
Whereas, after Nicolet's departure from the region, no extended stays were made at La Baie until Pere Claude Allouez established St. Francis Xavier Mission at Rapides Des Peres in 1671; and
Whereas, the French made no attempt to populate the area before they were driven out by the English in 1763 due to an ambush of British General Braddock and George Washington by Charles de Langlade who was a half-French Ottawa war chief; and
Whereas, de Langlade, who is called the "Father of Wisconsin," and his family became the first permanent settlers in Wisconsin when they moved to Green Bay in 1765 and Green Bay remained a British stronghold until after the war of 1812; and
Whereas, in the 1850's, immigrants from Belgium, Germany, Scandinavia, Ireland, and Holland settled in the area due to the cheap land and good soil; and
Whereas, on February 27, 1854, the legislature incorporated Green Bay as a city, making it the 9th city of the State of Wisconsin with William C. E. Thomas as its first mayor; and
Whereas, in the 1860's, the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad linked the area to other parts of the state, greatly enhancing business opportunities, and Green Bay became an international port with domestic and international trade; and
Whereas, on April 16, 1895, the city of Fort Howard and the city of Green Bay were consolidated to form one city, the city of Green Bay; and
Whereas, in 1895 the first paper mill in Green Bay was built, giving birth to the city's largest local industry, which remains the city's largest employer to this day; and
Whereas, in the 1920's, Green Bay's meat-packing industry provided a name for a company-sponsored "sandlot" football team, and the Green Bay Packers soon became one of 2 charter teams of the National Football League; and
Whereas, the Green Bay Packers is the only NFL team that is a publicly owned corporation, and its heritage and tradition along with many successes on the gridiron have brought invaluable name recognition across the world to the Green Bay area; and
Whereas, Green Bay has received many accolades, such as receiving in 1999 an All-America City Award by the National Civic League, and being named by Industry Week as one of its "world class communities," ranking it 21st in overall manufacturing performance of all cities, and 6th in job creation for cities under 250,000; and
Whereas, the people of Green Bay are today, like their ancestors, progressive thinking, hard-working people committed to their families, their faith, their work, and their community; and
Whereas on Friday, February 27, 2004, Green Bay will celebrate the sesquicentennial anniversary of the official chartering of the city of Green Bay; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the assembly, the senate concurring, That the members of the Wisconsin legislature congratulate the city of Green Bay on its 150th anniversary and proclaim February 27, 2004, Green Bay Day in Wisconsin; and, be it further
Resolved, That the assembly chief clerk shall transmit a copy of this joint resolution to the mayor of Green Bay.
