Wisconsin 101

John Gund Brewing Company postcard, c. 1911, courtesy of the Wisconsin Historical Society, Image 35952.

The Heileman Family: A German Immigration Story

The G. Heileman Brewing Company is often remembered by historians as the vision of the two ambitious men who founded the brewery in La Crosse, Wisconsin. At the height of its popularity in 1983, Heileman’s was the fourth largest brewery in the…

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August 17, 2021

Read more about the article Kechewaishke

Portrait of Chief Buffalo. Photo Credit: Wisconsin Historical Society Photographic Collection PH4553, Image 3957

Madeline Island / Ethnicity & Identity / Bayfield County / Related Stories / 1840-1860 / Region 1 - North West / Politics, Society & Government / Ojibwe Presentation Pipe

Kechewaishke

Kechewaishke (1759 – 1855), also known as Chief Buffalo, Peezhickee, and Le Boeuf, led the Lake Superior Ojibwe people of La Pointe, the location of Madeline Island today. Kechewaishke was instrumental to signing treaty agreements between the Wisconsin Ojibwe people and the…

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February 16, 2021

Read more about the article OBJECT HISTORY: Aztalan Copper Maskettes

Aztalan Copper Maskettes, 1000-1200 AD. Courtesy: Milwaukee Public Museum

Art, Sport & Entertainment / Pre-1600 / Aztalan / Object Histories / Ethnicity & Identity / Clothing & Fashion / Jefferson County / Region 7 - South Center

OBJECT HISTORY: Aztalan Copper Maskettes

Found at the Aztalan archaeological site in southeastern Wisconsin, these small copper artifacts were most likely used as ornate jewelry.[1] Specifically, Mississipian people likely wore the mask-shaped copper designs as earrings. Although Native Americans seldom used metal, they sometimes used metals from…

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December 18, 2020

Read more about the article OBJECT HISTORY: Ojibwe Presentation Pipe

Pipe bowl. Courtesy of Wisconsin Historical Society

Madeline Island / Art, Sport & Entertainment / Object Histories / Ethnicity & Identity / Bayfield County / 1840-1860 / Region 1 - North West / Politics, Society & Government / Religion / Ojibwe Presentation Pipe

OBJECT HISTORY: Ojibwe Presentation Pipe

This Ojibwe presentation pipe consists of two pieces: a pipe bowl and a pipe stem. It was most likely for spiritual ceremonies. According to the Wisconsin Historical Society, the pipe bowl is carved from heavy stone, and has two common images to…

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November 17, 2020

Art, Sport & Entertainment / Ino / Bayfield County / Ethnicity & Identity / Curators' Favorites / Global Connections / Region 1 - North West / 1900-1920 / Religion

OBJECT HISTORY: Slovak Catholic Altar

During the 19th and early 20th century, immigrants from all across Europe began coming to Wisconsin. Some had heard of economic opportunity from industries like mining, logging, or farming. Some were being treated unfairly in their home countries because of their race or religion.…

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October 6, 2020

Home Furnishings / 1800-1820 / Ethnicity & Identity / 1820-1840 / 1840-1860 / Global Connections / 1860-1880 / 1880-1900 / Transportation & Tourism

OBJECT HISTORY: Norwegian Trunk

In the 1800s, European immigrants coming to America had to find a way to preserve the objects indispensable to their lives, bringing their most precious belongings on an ocean voyage to a far-away new home. Most families were only able to bring…

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October 6, 2020