Wisconsin 101

OBJECT HISTORY: Feather from Old Abe the War Eagle

Twelve-year-old Ida Karne picked up this feather when visiting Old Abe the War Eagle in 1868. Today, it represents one of the few remaining parts of the eagle who became famous not only for his Civil War exploits, but also as a…

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May 15, 2025

Agriculture / Indigenous Wisconsin / Lac du Flambeau / Object Histories / Ethnicity & Identity / Curators' Favorites / Region 2 - North East / 1987-2011 / Vilas County / Ricing Sticks

OBJECT HISTORY: Wild Rice Threshing Machine

Harvested in the early autumn, wild rice has long been an important commodity to Native Americans, including the Ojibwe, who lived in areas where it grew abundantly. This improvised wild rice threshing machine was made and used by Duane Poupart, Sr., a…

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November 17, 2024

Viroqua / Art, Sport & Entertainment / Object Histories / Music, Theatre & Cinema / Curators' Favorites / Vernon County / 1965-1987 / 1987-2011 / Region 6 - South West / Smart Banner

OBJECT HISTORY: Butch Vig’s Drum Set

When the Beatles performed on the February 9, 1964, "Ed Sullivan Show," teenage girls in the studio swooned and those at home went crazy with excitement. Adolescent boys, however, couldn't keep their eyes off band member Ringo Starr's Ludwig drum kit with…

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July 13, 2022

Blanchardville / Object Histories / Clothing, Apparel & Fashion / Lafayette County / Everyday Life / Curators' Favorites / 1918-1945 / Region 6 - South West

OBJECT HISTORY: Permanent Wave Machine

Prior to the twentieth century, a woman with straight hair who desired curls had to spend hours heating curling irons over a flame or sleep with rags and pins in her hair in order to achieve waves. If she could not attain…

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December 15, 2020

Science & Technology / Clothing, Apparel & Fashion / Related Stories / Curators' Favorites / Manufacturing & Trade / 1918-1945 / 1945-1965 / Science & Medicine / X-Ray Shoe Fitting Machine

The Rise and Fall of Shoe Fitting Fluoroscopes

Shoe-fitting fluoroscopes were invented almost simultaneously in the United States and England. Milwaukee quickly became a center of the new technology.

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October 10, 2020

Art, Sport & Entertainment / Dane County / Madison / Sports & Games / Related Stories / Curators' Favorites / 1848-1877 / 1877-1900 / 1900-1918 / Transportation & Tourism / Region 7 - South Center / Madison-Style Ice Boat

Ice Boating in Madison: A Bernard Family Tradition

Ice boating for sport began along New York's upper Hudson River around the Civil War and soon spread to other cold weather locations. An 1878 article in Harper's Weekly includes an engraving of ice boating in Madison. The city quickly became a center for ice boating in North America, a distinction held for over a century.

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October 1, 2020