Wisconsin 101

Elsa Ulbricht: A Pioneer for Women’s Work

Due to its longevity and the number of women employed, historians consider the Milwaukee Handicraft Project to be one of the most successful programs sponsored by the Works Project Administration (WPA). The WPA funded many public works projects during the Great Depression as a…

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April 23, 2025

New Object Histories / Art & Design / Object Histories / Milwaukee County / Milwaukee / 1918-1945 / Society & Religion / Region 8 - South East / Milwaukee Handicraft Project Portfolio

OBJECT HISTORY: Milwaukee Handicraft Project Portfolio

A seagull is eating fish for lunch, disrupting the regularity of the water’s waves as it splashes around. This is a scene so common on the Milwaukee shores of Lake Michigan that it served as design inspiration for local craftsmen, and in…

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April 23, 2025

Milwaukee County / Milwaukee / Related Stories / Ethnicity & Identity / 1848-1877 / Politics & Government / Region 8 - South East / John Potter's Monster Knife

Ezekiel Gillespie, Black Suffrage, and the Wisconsin Idea

The Wisconsin Idea can be a lofty political goal, and it’s one that the state it is named after hasn’t always lived up to. Like so many other places in the United States, Wisconsin has a history of discriminating against its citizens…

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October 30, 2024

Art, Sport & Entertainment / Columbia County / Broad History / Milwaukee County / Dane County / Milwaukee / Madison / Lodi / Sports & Games / Related Stories / Ethnicity & Identity / Global Connections / Region 7 - South Center / Region 8 - South East / Wooden Curling Stone

Curling’s Growth in Wisconsin

When the Scottish migrated to the United States in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, they brought more with them then just bagpipes; they brought the growth of curling, a winter sport in which the players slide heavy granite blocks across icy terrain…

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June 20, 2024

Industry / Milwaukee / Milwaukee County / Related Stories / Manufacturing & Trade / 1900-1918 / 1918-1945 / Transportation & Tourism / Region 8 - South East / The Harley-Davidson V-Twin Engine

Beyond the Dirt Track: Harley-Davidson Expands to New Markets

Harley-Davidson motorcycles may have had their first exposure on the dirt-track racing circuits of the early 1900s, but their legacy did not end with extreme sports. 1908 marked the Milwaukee Police Department’s creation of its novel “motorcycle unit.” Consisting of just five…

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June 18, 2022

Art, Sport & Entertainment / Broad History / Industry / Milwaukee / Milwaukee County / Related Stories / Sports & Games / Manufacturing & Trade / Transportation & Tourism / Region 8 - South East / The Harley-Davidson V-Twin Engine

Harley Davidson and Milwaukee

It’s no secret that Harley-Davidson’s history is deeply rooted in Milwaukee. From dealerships to museums, the motorcycle giant serves as a cultural landmark and has become synonymous with the sprawling city. Thus, one may be surprised to learn of its humble beginnings.…

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June 18, 2022