Posted on 03/08/2012 10:51:12 AM PST by Hunton Peck
“The state even got the “badger” nickname from mining . . .”
I’m a native of Wisconsin, and lived there a long time before learning of the Cornish miners that came to work the lead mines in southwestern corner of the state. At first they were very poor, and some took to living in caves in the limestone bluffs, to which some of the local folk responded by remarking that the miners were “living like badgers.” The “Badger State” tag has nothing to do with the number of those rodents in the state, which actually is very small.
Many loads of lead shot were shipped by river barges to equip Union soldiers.
Somewhere I read that badgers (literal ones, that is) aren’t even indigenous here.
Some of the anti-mining fools would no doubt prefer that we stop being cheeseheads, packers and brewers, too, and become exclusively tofuheads, sproutgrowers and mineralwaterers (no, wait; that last one won’t work, as they don’t even like mineral water, if its extraction might make someone some money).
The mining company walked. There won’t be any reason to bring it up.
It’s possible that if Republicans gain seats that they or even another mining company could come to Wisconsin. It would definitely take some encouraging, though.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.