Wisconsin 101

Enjoy a browse through Wisconsin 101’s collection of object histories. Click on the “Read More” button to view the full story and its accompanying related histories or explore the categories listed above each object history to learn more about certain themes, periods of time, and Wisconsin locales.

OBJECT HISTORY: The Crab Tree Special

In the 1890s, mass-produced safety bicycles sparked a bicycle craze across Wisconsin. However, despite the lowered costs associated with mass production, not everyone could afford this new luxury. Walter Atkinson of Ellenboro, Wisconsin, was not going to let a $100 price tag deter him from experiencing the liberating power of bicycle transportation. Tapping into the…

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February 10, 2019

Food & Cooking / Object Histories / Ethnicity & Identity / Everyday Life / 1877-1900 / Global Connections / Norwegians / Old World Wisconsin

OBJECT HISTORY: Lefse Stone

Can you think of a time when someone wanted you to eat something new? Did you eat it? For many people, if they saw lefse on a plate, they would not know what it was. Lefse looks like a tortilla, but it…

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December 1, 2018

Home Furnishings / Indigenous Wisconsin / Object Histories / Ethnicity & Identity / Clothing, Apparel & Fashion / Everyday Life

OBJECT HISTORY: Cradleboard

Native Americans used cradleboards in North America to protect, carry, and entertain their babies. Cradleboards allowed women to keep babies close to their side. Women carried cradleboards on their backs. They also could rest them against a tree. The cradleboard protected babies from danger and kept them happy. Native tribes made cradleboards in many ways,…

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November 1, 2018

Milwaukee / Milwaukee County / Object Histories / 1877-1900 / Society & Religion / Transportation & Tourism / Region 8 - South East / Old World Wisconsin

OBJECT HISTORY: Badger Wheelmen Pin

During the 1880s bicycling became very popular, and many cycling clubs opened across America. The Badger Wheelmen was a cycling club based in Milwaukee. In clubs, cycling fans could meet and share their love for bicycles. In that era, many people joined social clubs to improve themselves or the world around them. Members wore pins…

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November 1, 2018

Object Histories / Education / 1900-1918 / Waukesha County / Region 8 - South East / Old World Wisconsin

OBJECT HISTORY: Slate

Before chromebooks, iPads, and even lined paper, students still had to complete their assignments. In the past, students did most their schoolwork on a slate. A slate is a small, rectangular blackboard made from slate stone. They had two sides and the edges were wrapped in leather or wood to protect students’ hands. In the…

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November 1, 2018

Grant County / Industry / Object Histories / Iowa County / 1787-1848 / Mining Industry / Lafayette County / Manufacturing & Trade / Nature & Environment / Region 6 - South West

OBJECT HISTORY: Galena

Galena, the official state mineral of Wisconsin, is the raw material used to produce lead. During the Wisconsin “lead rush” of the 1820s-40s, lead was more valuable than gold. That is because just about everybody, rich or poor, used objects made of lead in their daily lives – products that ranged from plumbing to toothpaste!…

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October 15, 2018

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