Wisconsin History Day By Day

Related Web Sites:

Read More About It

"Madison, a History of the Formative Years" by David Mollenhoff

"The Physical Geography of Wisconsin" by Lawrence Martin

"The Naming of the Four Lakes," Wisconsin Magazine of History, 1945-46, by Frederick Cassidy

Vocabulary:

formally

Interesting Fact:

Poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote a poem about Madison's four lakes. It begins, "Four limpid lakes,--four Naiades

Or sylvan deities are these,

In flowing robes of azure dressed;

Study Questions:

How were the four lakes created?

On a map, trace the route of the Yahara River from its source to where it ends.

The names of the lakes and river are Native American. What do the names mean in English?

Search these newspaper databases for additional stories about the lakes along the Yahara River:

Wisconsin State Journal/The Capital Times

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

BadgerLink Wisconsin Newsstand

Wisconsin Historical Society

U.S. historical events that occurred on February 14:

1920: The League of Women Voters is founded.

1929: Seven members of the Bugs Moran gang are gunned in a Chicago garage. It becomes known as the "St. Valentine's Day Massacre."

February 14

February 14, 1855: A bill was passed in the legislature formally naming the Madison area lakes (Kegonsa, Waubesa, Monona and Mendota) and the Yahara River.

Wisconsin History Day By Day homepage January - December calendar page

February 14, 1855: A bill was passed in the legislature formally naming the Madison area lakes (Kegonsa, Waubesa, Monona and Mendota) and the Yahara River.