Wisconsin

Origin

Borrowed from French Ouisconsin, itself borrowed from an uncertain Native American language. Theories include: * Miami meeskohsinki or Algonquin meskousing, both meaning "it lies red", the name given to the Wisconsin River by one of the Algonquian-speaking American Indian groups living in the region at the time of European contact. "Meskousing" is known from maps drawn by the French from the 1670s onwards, it is believed subsequent transcribers mistook the stylized cursive "M" for "OU". * Menominee wēskōhsek (“a good place”), from Wēskōhsek Sēpēw ("the river where it is good to live") * An Ojibwe term, suggestions include miskwasiniig (“red stones”), referring to the red sandstone of the dells of the Wisconsin River; and wiishihkaanhs (“little lodge”), referring to the dwellings of the abundant beavers and muskrats. A researcher for the State of Wisconsin Historical Society concluded in frustration, "I have not found two Indians to agree on the meaning of this word."