Oshkosh Facts
Fact 1: Oshkosh is home to Wittman Regional Airport, which hosts the popular Experimental Aircraft Association Convention each July. The EAA event draws nearly one million visitors to the city and showcases antique, modern and do-it-yourself aircraft exhibitions.

Fact 2: Wisconsin's only walled garden is located at Oshkosh's Paine Art Center. Native flowers and trees are mixed with plants from around the globe to create a lush, private world.

Fact 3: Little Oshkosh is one of the country's largest and most elaborate community-built playgrounds. It took more than 6,000 volunteers eleven days to create the Menominee Park attraction. Fantastic shapes include a lighthouse, castle, airplane and giant head; other draws include tire tunnels, swings and slides.

Fact 4: The lumber trade helped Oshkosh's early economy get established, and today, remnants of its "wooden dynasties" enrich the city's cultural scene. In fact, three houses built for early lumber barons are in community use today. The John Rogers Morgan House (1884) has been completely renovated and is open to tours. Edgar Sawyer's home is now the Oshkosh Public Museum, and Nathan Paine's home – now the Paine Art Center – is available for tours, art classes and musical performances.

Fact 5: Although Oshkosh's first settler arrived in 1836, its first saw mill didn't appear until eleven years later. Then, it wasn't until the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 that Oshkosh embarked on its economic boom. After the fire, the city was desperate for building materials, and Oshkosh was able to comply. Oshkosh loggers cleared forest land as quickly as saw mill owners could turn raw timber into lumber. So began the local industry that saw Oshkosh grow into one of the state's economic leaders.

Fact 6: Oshkosh, Wisconsin, a small, scenic city located at the junction of the Fox River and Lake Winnebago, has over 63,000 full-time residents.

Fact 7: Winnebago County has 30 lakes. Sailing, kayaking, waterskiing and fishing are all popular pastimes for locals and visitors.

Fact 8: July is Oshkosh's hottest month, and the daily average high is 82.5° F. This is in stark contrast to January (Oshkosh's coldest month), when average daily highs only reach 24° F and the average low is a nippy 5° F.

Fact 9: Lake Winnebago is Wisconsin's largest lake. It covers 215 square miles.

Fact 10: Wisconsin's nickname – the Badger State – is familiar if not official. It came about because early settlers were such enterprising miners that they found themselves too busy to build proper homes and chose to live in abandoned mine shafts instead.

In the To all the Mother's of the World! photo essay.