Wisconsin 101

John H. Rountree and the Founding of Platteville

By many measures, John H. Rountree fit the archetype of a successful 19th century American pioneer. Born in 1805 in Kentucky, he made his fortune staking a claim near the Platte River in the then lucrative lead mining region of southwestern Wisconsin,…

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July 20, 2025

Mercedes Herman's Welding Uniform / Military History / Maritime Industry / Industry / Door County / Related Stories / Sturgeon Bay / 1918-1945 / Region 5 - Center East

Women in Shipbuilding during World War II

Most people recognize the patriotic World War II campaign of “Rosie the Riveter,” which aimed to recruit female workers to patch the gaps in industrial labor left by male military enlistment. Shipyards, specifically, hired women into the war effort at an exponential…

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June 10, 2025

Mercedes Herman's Welding Uniform / Maritime Industry / Industry / Related Stories / Door County / Sturgeon Bay / 1900-1918 / Manufacturing & Trade / 1918-1945 / 1945-1965 / Region 5 - Center East

Sturgeon Bay Shipbuilding and Drydock Company

The Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal opened in 1881 to provide a sailing route through the Door Peninsula to both shorten the shipping distance between cities on Green Bay and Lake Michigan and to avoid the treacherous waters of the Porte des Mortes…

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June 10, 2025

Mercedes Herman's Welding Uniform / Military History / New Object Histories / Maritime Industry / Industry / Object Histories / Clothing, Apparel & Fashion / Door County / Sturgeon Bay / Manufacturing & Trade / 1918-1945 / Region 5 - Center East

OBJECT HISTORY: Mercedes Herman’s Welding Uniform

At only sixteen years old, Mercedes Herman stepped forward as one of the first Wisconsin women to join the local manufacturing workforce in Door County during the second World War, operating as a shipyard welder at Sturgeon Bay Shipbuilding and Drydock Company.…

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June 10, 2025

Janesville / Industry / Manufacturing & Trade / Rock County / 1918-1945 / Society & Religion / Transportation & Tourism / Chevy Caprice / Region 7 - South Center

Janesville GM 1937 Strike

Economic tension during the Great Depression in the early 1930s caused a massive shift in labor relations as many workers wanted protection, jobs, and better wages. Many Americans were desperate for jobs that would meet their needs, and this led to grassroot…

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February 17, 2025

Janesville / Industry / Related Stories / Manufacturing & Trade / Rock County / 1918-1945 / 1945-1965 / 1965-1987 / 1987-2011 / Transportation & Tourism / Region 7 - South Center / Chevy Caprice

Janesville General Motors Assembly Plant

The Janesville Assembly Plant’s near ninety-year run helped define both the city and its workers and the General Motors Company as one of the most successful automakers in the world. The history of the plant is deeply rooted in Janesville’s agricultural past.…

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February 17, 2025