The Winnebago, Dakota, and Menominee Indians lived in the Wisconsin region when the first white explorers came. These tribes lived in lodges made of bark, saplings, and rushes. They grew corn, beans, and squash to eat with their meat. The Winnebago Indians lived between Green Bay and Lake Winnebago. The Dakota Indians lived in northwestern Wisconsin. The Menominee Indians lived to the west and north of Green Bay.
 

        In 1634 the French explorer Jean Nicolet landed on the shore of Green Bay while looking for a water route to the far east. He claimed the valley of the Fox River for France.
 

        The nation's first kindergarten was begun in Wisconsin by Mrs. Carl Shurz in 1856.