Delta Chi Epsilon and the Origins of “Pioneer Pete”

Written by: Garrison Ledbury - 6/27/21

The University of Wisconsin Platteville’s “Pioneer Pete” has long been a staple name and rallying cry for the university’s Pioneer students. Pioneer Pete is often seen on campus during numerous school functions including homecoming, sporting events, and graduation ceremonies. While all UW-Platteville students are familiar with Pete, his trusty pickaxe and blue and orange miners outfit, the history of this unique mascot - and his connection to UW-Platteville’s Greek community - is less well known, specifically Pete’s relationship with Delta Chi Epsilon Fraternity, known today as the Delta-Iota chapter of Sigma Pi Fraternity, International.

Bruce Howdle as Pioneer Pete riding down Main Street, WSU-P homecoming, 1965

UW-Platteville’s roots start in the formation of two separate schools. These were the Platteville Academy (1839-1866) and the Wisconsin Mining Trade School (1908-1915). The Platteville Academy would be followed by the first state normal school in the state of Wisconsin from 1866-1927, the Platteville State Teachers College from 1927-1951, and the Wisconsin State College Platteville from 1951-1959. This string of schools would put the small town of Platteville on the map as a center for academics and a source for teaching degrees.

Not far from these places of learning, the Wisconsin Mining Trade School began teaching young miners in-training in the Lead-Zinc District of the Upper Mississippi River Valley how to use the ever-advancing mining equipment used to dig up lead and zinc ore out of the mines that surround Platteville to this day. The Mining Trade School would later be named the Wisconsin Mining School from 1915-1939, and the Wisconsin Institute of Technology from 1939-1959. In 1959, the Wisconsin State College Platteville and the Wisconsin Institute of Technology would merge to form the Wisconsin State College and Institute of Technology at Platteville, melding the near century of education of teaching and mining into what would eventually become the University of Wisconsin-Platteville.

The origins of Pioneer Pete as he is known today began around this time. When the University formalized its name into the Wisconsin State University - Platteville in 1959, there was an increasingly divisive issue sweeping the campus, what should WSU-P’s Pioneer Pete look like? While an endearing adjective to use, few students knew what a pioneer was in a concrete sense and even fewer wanted to be represented solely by the word “Pioneer.” This almost 100-year debate would reach a head in 1965.

UW-Platteville’s student newspaper The Exponent, took multiple surveys and interviewed faculty and staff alike on what they thought Pioneer Pete should look like. The most popular designs submitted as drawings to the newspaper for the mascot were that of a miner who had just come out of the lead or zinc mines for the day- rugged, dirty, and with a look of having worked hard. Another design was that of a frontiersmen with a buckskin coat and a coonskin hat to represent the pioneering spirit of the settlers that moved through and settled in the region. Other mascots included a mouse, and in the 1990s, a horse mascot named “Pioneer Spirit.”

During the fall semester of 1965, student organizations began work on creating mascots that could be presented during the homecoming parade. The organization with the winning design would be awarded $50. In the Greek community at that time, the recently founded Delta Chi Epsilon Fraternity began work on their design for the look of Pioneer Pete. Created by the first pledge class of Delta Chi Epsilon as the fraternity’s first pledge project, the brother’s Pioneer Pete sported a confident smile and charismatic winking eye. Coordinated by Bruce Howdle, an art major and one of the pledge brothers in the Alpha pledge class, the costume took six weeks to make and would take the shape of a 7 Ibs. fiberglass and paper mache head with a wire frame felt hat which had a 4 ft. diameter brim and included interchangeable hats. The weight and shape of the head required any brother wearing it to hold onto a handle attached to the costume as it would often tilt to one side if caught in a breeze. This Pioneer Pete followed the rugged miner look that had circulated around the campus the year before.

A later iteration of Pioneer Pete presented by Delta Chi Epsilon, 1968

With the hope of creating a mascot that would one day be as famous as Bucky Badger, the pledge class and founding fathers of the chapter presented their Pioneer Pete to the Dean of Men, Tom Jonas, and Assistant Dean, Lloyd Lyndon. Impressed with the design, the Dean directed the brothers to present their costume to Bjarne Ullsvik, the chancellor of WSU-P. Chancellor Ullsik gave the university’s blessing to present the mascot in the homecoming parade.

“We hope by the presence of this mascot that the school spirit will benefit throughout the years,” a Delta Chi Epsilon brother at the 1965 homecoming said.

The mascot was chosen as one of the first iterations of the Pioneer Pete look. During the homecoming parade of that year, Delta Chi Epsilon brothers sported the Pioneer Pete head down Platteville’s main street to greet students and residents alike.

“The students loved and respected the mascot and held it in high regard,” said brother Ed Deneen, an original member of the 1965 Alpha pledge class of Delta Chi Epsilon.

Members of the fraternity wore the costume for years at campus events to encourage school spirit. Years later, Bruce Howdle would become an art professor with the university and would advise the chapter on later mascot designs and also opened an art studio in Mineral Point, WI.

Bruce Howdle, Alpha Pledge Class brother and lead designer of Pioneer Pete’s 1965 costume

The Pioneer Pete head was refurbished every year for reuse in the many events put on by the university. Eventually, the mascot was redone in 1968. Different looks for Pioneer Pete followed in later years, but the miner design became a campus and town favorite after Delta Chi Epsilon’s introduction of their Pioneer Pete. The mascot put on by the chapter would retire after the 125th homecoming in 1991, allowing other groups to submit designs and add on to the existing miner framework laid forth by Delta Chi Epsilon. In 2012, UW-Platteville would formally introduce the blue and orange, pickaxe-wielding, and hardhat-wearing Pioneer Pete as he is presented today.