Our History in Objects
WISCONSIN 101
Wisconsin 101 is a statewide, collaborative, public history project that uses objects as the centerpieces of local histories from all around our state.
EXPLORE THE HISTORY OF WISCONSIN
Use the slider below to view important events in Wisconsin's history.
Wisconsin 101 Exhibits
Indigenous Peoples
Indigenous Peoples
The state of Wisconsin occupies a modern political boundary, but for millenia prior peoples and nations occupied this space. This exhibition feature essays and objects about indigenous peoples, their encounter with colonizers and settlers, and their modern history. Read our land acknowledgement and access additional resources on Indigenous history and current politics here.
A Landscape of Leisure: Tourism in Wisconsin
A Landscape of Leisure: Tourism in Wisconsin
Wisconsin’s natural beauty has long invited visitors seeking escape, adventure, and renewal. A Landscape of Leisure: Tourism in Wisconsin explores how lakes, woods, springs, and winter snow drew people over centuries, while businesses and governments promoted the state through postcards, resorts, and state parks. Whether by rail, road, or trail, tourism remade towns, economies, and identities. Even today, tourism remains vital—offering recreation, connection to nature, and a chance to breathe easier in Wisconsin’s great outdoors.
Wisconsin Waterways: A Great Lakes Legacy
Wisconsin Waterways: A Great Lakes Legacy
Wisconsin’s Great Lakes have shaped its communities, economy, and environment for centuries. Wisconsin Waterways: A Great Lakes Legacy traces this history through stories of shipbuilding, ports, and recreation along Lake Michigan, and traditions, wilderness, and resilience along Lake Superior. The lakes have carried trade and tourism, inspired cultural identity, and supported everyday life, while also facing challenges like pollution and invasive species. This exhibit highlights how Wisconsin’s waterways remain living landscapes—places where history, environment, and community meet—and reminds us that the Great Lakes are as vital to the present and future as they are to the past.