It originates in the forests of the Lake District of northern Wisconsin, in Lac Vieux Desert near the border of the upper peninsula of Michigan. It flows south across the glacial plain of central Wisconsin, passing Wausau and Stevens Point. In southern Wisconsin it encounters the terminal moraine formed during the last ice age, where it forms the spectacular Dells of the Wisconsin River. North of Madison, it turns to the west, flowing across the hills of southwest Wisconsin and joins the Mississippi approximately 10 mi (16 km) south of Prairie du Chien.
It is navigable up to the town of Portage, 200 mi (320 km) from its mouth, where it is separated from the Fox River by only 2 mi (3.2 km), furnishing an important early route between Lake Michigan and the Mississippi for Native Americans and early French explorers. (See:French colonization of the Americas).
The Wisconsin is impounded in 26 places for hydroelectric power and has been called "the hardest-working river in America."
Citizens of Wisconsin are referred to as Wisconsinites, although a common nickname (sometimes used pejoratively) among non-residents is "Cheeseheads," due to the prevalence and quality of cheesemaking in the state.
The state is bordered by the Montreal River, Lake Superior and Michigan to the north, by Lake Michigan to the east, by Illinois to the south, and by Iowa and Minnesota to the west.
Croix River in the west, and the Menominee River in the northeast.
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