Wisconsin 101

Read more about the article OBJECT HISTORY: Vulcan Bowling Pin

Vulcan Bowling Pin. Photo credited to Joe Hermolin.

OBJECT HISTORY: Vulcan Bowling Pin

This bowling pin was produced by the Vulcan Corporation in Antigo, Wisconsin, sometime in the late 1950s after Vulcan had introduced its patented “Nyl-Tuf Supreme” plastic coating (as indicated by the pin’s red label).

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September 8, 2020

Read more about the article Bowling in Japan

Bowling featured on this 1964 cover of a special issue of Life Magazine devoted to Japan. Click to enlarge.

Sports & Games / Art, Sport & Entertainment / Antigo / Langlade County / Related Stories / Global Connections / Region 2 - North East / 1945-1965 / Vulcan Bowling Pin

Bowling in Japan

In 1964, a representative of Japanese company Sanko Trading visited the Vulcan Corporation, a bowling-pin manufacturer based in Antigo, Wisconsin. Sanko was seeking a deal for exclusive rights to import bowling pins to Japan. At the time, Vulcan didn’t think much of the…

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February 1, 2016

Read more about the article Milwaukee: The Bowling Capital of America

American Bowling Congress tournament in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, c. 1905. Photographer unknown.

Broad History / Sports & Games / Milwaukee / Art, Sport & Entertainment / Milwaukee County / Ethnicity & Identity / Related Stories / Region 8 - South East / Vulcan Bowling Pin

Milwaukee: The Bowling Capital of America

Bowling evolved in the mid-nineteenth century United States from imported European games like the German kegling. Beginning with clubs in eastern U.S cities, bowling grew in popularity and spread to the Midwest—particularly cities like Milwaukee—as German-Americans migrated across the continent. Bowling was often…

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February 1, 2016

Read more about the article The Vulcan Corporation

Inspecting pins coming off the Vulcan assembly line, 1954. Photograph courtesy of the Langlade County Historical Society.

Broad History / Wisconsin Made / Industry / Sports & Games / Art, Sport & Entertainment / Antigo / Related Stories / Langlade County / Clothing, Apparel & Fashion / Everyday Life / Manufacturing & Trade / Region 2 - North East / Vulcan Bowling Pin

The Vulcan Corporation

The Vulcan Corporation was founded in 1909 in Ohio as a manufacturer of wooden shoe lasts. The business really took off once they developed a new shoe last turning lathe. In 1919, Vulcan started a plant in Crandon, Wisconsin, which made “rough-turned”—or unfinished—lasts.…

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February 1, 2016