Wisconsin Badgers Vintage Bucky CrewneckWisconsin has been known as the Badger State since the early 1800s due to their heavy involvement in the lead industry. Settlers who worked in Wisconsins lead mines in the winter lived in dwellings burrowed into hillsides, much like badgers in hibernation. By 1851, the badger was placed on the state seal, and after football became an official sport at the University of Wisconsin in 1889, the badger was adopted as their official mascot. Today you can