On May 29, 1848 Wisconsin became a U.S. state. Some of the Native American Tribes to live in Wisconsin were the Dakota Sioux, Winnebago, Menominee, Ojibwe, Potawatome, Fox, and Saux. The fist people to explore Wisconsin were the French. Lead mining brought many settlers into this region in the 1836. The Wisconsin Territory was named in 1836 and in 1848 Wisconsin became a U.S. state. Lastly, the state was also an important part of the Underground Railroad.