Wisconsin 101

Read more about the article OBJECT HISTORY: Fiddle

A fiddle from a lumberjack camp. Image courtesy of Ron Dennis.

OBJECT HISTORY: Fiddle

As the lumber industry flourished in Wisconsin beginning in the 1840s, immigrants from all over Europe and Canada came to live and work in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. All winter, men called lumberjacks would cut down pine trees, preparing the timber to be used as building material, or sometimes to be turned into pulp or…

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September 10, 2020

Read more about the article OBJECT HISTORY: Norwegian Genealogical Plaque

Photo by Jared Schmidt.

Art & Design / Norwegian Genealogical Plaque / Art, Sport & Entertainment / Home Furnishings / Lake Koshkonong / Object Histories / Ethnicity & Identity / Everyday Life / Global Connections / Jefferson County / 1877-1900 / Region 7 - South Center

OBJECT HISTORY: Norwegian Genealogical Plaque

Created in 1879, this beautiful plaque features the genealogy of Sara Magelssen's family, including the story of her and her husband's immigration to Wisconsin in the 1860s.

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September 10, 2020

Sports & Games / Wisconsin Made / Art, Sport & Entertainment / Object Histories / Antigo / Langlade County / Global Connections / Manufacturing & Trade / Nature & Environment / Region 2 - North East / 1945-1965 / 1965-1987 / Mepps Fishing Lure

OBJECT HISTORY: Mepps Fishing Lure

The classic Mepps fishing lure the Aglia, was invented in France in the 1930s and patented in 1938. (Mepps is a French acronym for Manufacturier d’ Engins de Precision pour Peches Sportives, translated as “Manufacture of Precision Equipment for Sport Fishing”.) It was introduced to northern Wisconsin, and to the U.S., by a G.I. returning from France.…

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September 10, 2020

Sports & Games / Art, Sport & Entertainment / Object Histories / Dane County / Madison / 1900-1918 / Transportation & Tourism / Region 7 - South Center / Madison-Style Ice Boat

OBJECT HISTORY: Madison-Style Ice Boat Model

This miniature ice boat was originally built in Madison, Wisconsin about 1916-1917 by a member of the Bernard family. Carl Bernard grew up in the culture of ice boating and began making models of them at a young age. Creating models helped the Bernards try new innovative building techniques and were also raced for fun.

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September 9, 2020

Art & Design / Home Furnishings / Art, Sport & Entertainment / Object Histories / Langlade County / Ethnicity & Identity / Everyday Life / Region 2 - North East / Society & Religion / CCC Pillow Sham / 1918-1945

OBJECT HISTORY: CCC Pillow Sham

Created in 1933, this commemorative pillow sham was just one of a number of textiles created by second-generation Hungarian immigrant Rose Mary Drab to honor her brother Edward’s service in the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). Rose Mary appliquéd the black cotton sateen sham with a small cotton tent, a blue eagle and two small stars, and hills, pine…

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September 9, 2020

Sports & Games / Lake Geneva / 20-sided die / Art, Sport & Entertainment / Object Histories / Walworth County / 1965-1987 / Region 8 - South East

OBJECT HISTORY: A Twenty-sided Die

Dice are used in games around the world to generate a random number. Traditionally the die is cubical; however there are multiple forms of non-cubicle die, such as, the 20-sided die. Ancient die were typically made from bones, wood, or rock. Today, die of all shapes are usually made from resin. The 20-sided die can…

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September 9, 2020