Wisconsin 101

La Crosse / Industry / Ethnicity & Identity / Related Stories / 1848-1877 / Global Connections / 1877-1900 / Manufacturing & Trade / 1900-1918 / La Crosse County / Region 3 - Center West / King Gambrinus Statues of LaCrosse

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

Art, Sport & Entertainment / La Crosse / Art & Design / Object Histories / Industry / Ethnicity & Identity / Global Connections / La Crosse County / Manufacturing & Trade / 1918-1945 / Region 3 - Center West / 1965-1987 / King Gambrinus Statues of LaCrosse

OBJECT HISTORY: King Gambrinus Statues of La Crosse

The King Gambrinus statue located in La Crosse, Wisconsin depicts the king of beer and brewing.[1] The origins of the statue, specifically its sculptor and construction date, are unknown. Weighing in at approximately 2,000 pounds, this concrete statue is 15 feet tall.…

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August 17, 2021

La Crosse / Agriculture / Industry / Object Histories / Manufacturing & Trade / La Crosse County / 1965-1987 / Region 3 - Center West / King Gambrinus Statues of LaCrosse

OBJECT HISTORY: World’s Largest Six-Pack

Located in La Crosse, Wisconsin, the “World’s Largest Six-Pack” is a popular tourist attraction and landmark structure representative of the city’s renowned brewing history. At 54 feet tall, the six steel storage tanks, shaped and arranged to resemble a six-pack of beer,…

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August 17, 2021

La Crosse / Dane County / Madison / Ethnicity & Identity / Related Stories / 1848-1877 / Global Connections / La Crosse County / Region 3 - Center West / Society & Religion / Region 7 - South Center / Norwegian Genealogical Plaque

The Emigranten and Other Norwegian-Language Papers

Throughout the 19th century, Wisconsin was home to dozens of foreign-language newspapers representing cultures from throughout Europe. These papers provided opportunities to create connections in America, maintain homeland networks, and keep current with news in their native language.

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July 1, 2019

Home Furnishings / La Crosse / Education / Object Histories / Everyday Life / La Crosse County / 1900-1918 / Region 3 - Center West / La Crosse Normal School Fireplace

OBJECT HISTORY: La Crosse Normal School Fireplace

UW- La Crosse was once a smaller school that went by a different name. The original school, La Crosse Normal, was originally a training school for prospective teachers. It opened on September 7, 1909. Parts of the Normal School can still be seen on the UW-La Crosse campus, though they can be difficult to spot.…

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September 1, 2018

La Crosse / Object Histories / Ethnicity & Identity / Clothing, Apparel & Fashion / Everyday Life / A Hmong Baby Sash / Global Connections / La Crosse County / Politics & Government / Region 3 - Center West / 1965-1987

OBJECT HISTORY: A Hmong Baby Sash

We are surrounded by objects that seem very ordinary, but once we look closer, they often reveal deep connections to the history of our state and our communities. In this Object History, Pao Vue writes about the thread-bare baby sash he found in his mother’s room that, it turns out, once saved his life and…

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July 15, 2018