The year was 1819 and the United States experienced its first major financial crisis in the Panic of 1819. Following a period of economic development after the War of 1812, property values collapsed, and unemployment was on the rise. Thousands of people found themselves in debtors’ prisons, and soup kitchens and charitable institutions were in demand.  

Wisconsin State Report   By Larry                                                                                                                                     

 Based on an Indian word "Ouisconsin" believed to mean "grassy place" in the Cheppewa tongue