Mark Scheffler, a candidate in Wisconsin’s 8th Congressional District, has proclaimed Shawano as the new site of Wisconsin’s state capital.
The change from Madison to Shawano is part of Scheffler’s April Fools’ Day “Operation Yooper Liberation” proclamation invalidating the 1836 settlement of the Toledo War, which, among other things, resulted in the land of the Upper Peninsula being taken from the Wisconsin Territory and given to the Michigan Territory.
Scheffler said, because of the UP joining Wisconsin, the geography of the state would change, so the capital should move to Shawano to be more centrally located within the state’s new boundaries.
“Look, if we’re going to do this, we should think big,” Scheffler said. “Shawano as the new capital just makes sense. It puts government closer to the people … and closer to some of the best Friday fish fries in the country.”
The proposal humorously suggests that Wisconsin should revisit the terms of the 1836 Treaty of Toledo and consider bringing the region into closer alignment with Wisconsin.
“Wisconsin shares a long land border with the UP, while lower Michigan doesn’t even touch it,” Scheffler noted. “At some point, you have to ask, does this map still make sense?”
Scheffler emphasized that the initiative is designed to create a viral, positive moment across northeast Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula — inviting people from all political backgrounds to laugh, share and engage.
“At a time when politics feels divided, this is about bringing people together — even if it’s over something as simple as agreeing that the map of the Midwest could use a second look,” he said. “But like all good jokes, there’s a little truth behind it.”
In reality, the 1836 settlement of the Toledo War was a congressional compromise forcing Michigan to cede the 468-square-mile Toledo Strip (including the Port of Toledo) to Ohio in exchange for Michigan’s statehood (granted in 1837) and the western three-quarters of the Upper Peninsula.
Michigan’s loss of 1,100 square miles of agricultural land and the port of Toledo was offset by the gain of 9,000 square miles of timber and ore-rich land, all from the Wisconsin Territory.
Today, most of Michigan is in the Eastern Time Zone (including Detroit and the entire Lower Peninsula), but four counties in the western Upper Peninsula — Gogebic, Iron, Dickinson and Menominee — are in the Central Time Zone. These four counties follow Central Time to stay in sync with Wisconsin.
kpasson@newmedia-wi.com
An AI-generated photo proclaims Michigan’s Upper Peninsula now as part of Wisconsin. An April Fools’ Day proposal by congressional candidate Mark Scheffler humorously suggests that Wisconsin should revisit the terms of the 1836 Treaty of Toledo and consider bringing the region into closer alignment with Wisconsin. (Contributed)
