Badger Boys State adopted a program based upon the experience of the Illinois Boys State which was sponsored by the Illinois American Legion and had been in operation since 1935. Four hundred eighty-four high school juniors attended the first session of Badger Boys State at St. John's Military Academy in Delafield, Wisconsin, June 16–23, 1939. The project proved very successful and was unanimously authorized to proceed as a state program by the Wisconsin American Legion Convention in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The individuals responsible for founding the Badger Boys State program officially on April 8, 1939 were: Due to the limited capacity of St. John's
American badger weasel, otter, ferret, and wolverine. The American badger belongs to the Taxidiinae, one of three subfamilies of badgers – the other two being the Melinae (9 species, including the Eurasian badger) and the Mellivorinae (honey badger). The American badger's closest relative is the prehistoric "Chamitataxus". Recognized subspecies include: the nominate subspecies "T. t. taxus", found in central Canada and central US; "T. t. jacksoni", found in the southern Great Lakes region including southern Ontario; "T. t. jeffersoni", in British Columbia and the western US; and "T. t. berlandieri", in the southwestern US and northern Mexico. Ranges of subspecies overlap considerably,