Wisconsin 101

Stars of Silent Film

The Ringling Theatre featured many forms of entertainment throughout the years, including live theatrical performances as well as silent films. At the time when the theatre was built in 1915, silent films were becoming more popular because advancements in film technology allowed…

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July 18, 2024

Usher Uniform / Art, Sport & Entertainment / Baraboo / Related Stories / Sauk County / 1900-1920 / Region 7 - South Center

The Al Ringling Theatre

General View from the South, Al Ringling Theatre. Photo by Douglass C. Green for HABS (Survey #WI-261), ca. 1970. Albert (“Al”) Ringling was the eldest brother of the Ringling family and was credited with both the creation of the famous Ringling Brothers Circus and…

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July 18, 2024

Lodi / Wooden Curling Stone / Columbia County / Related Stories / 1880-1900 / 1900-1920 / 1920-1940 / 1940-1960 / 1960-1980 / 1980-2000 / 2000-2020 / Region 7 - South Center / 2020-2040

The Lodi Curling Club: 150 Years of Curling

How do you bring leisure and fun to a newly founded city? Build a curling club of course! At least that’s what James Otis Eaton did just over a decade after the small Wisconsin town of Lodi was officially founded in 1869.…

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June 20, 2024

Fish Boil Kettle / Door County / Related Stories / 1840-1860 / Manufacturing & Trade / 1860-1880 / Nature & Environment / 1880-1900 / Region 5 - Center East

Early Fishing in Northern Door County: Before the Turn of the 20th Century

The impact of the fishing industry on Door County cannot be understated, as it held the keys for the original formation of the County and many of its cities and villages. Although commercial fishing has waned, the tradition persists in area as…

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April 10, 2024

Fish Boil Kettle / Door County / Related Stories / 1860-1880 / 1880-1900 / Nature & Environment / 1900-1920 / 1920-1940 / 1940-1960 / 1960-1980 / Region 5 - Center East / Transportation & Tourism / 1980-2000

Tourism in Droves: Door County as a Tourist Destination

In the present day, the Door County tourism industry brings in over $500 million in total economic impact every year, with the summer as peak season. Rising from humble beginnings, and getting some help along the way from innovation, mainly the rise…

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April 10, 2024

Wisconsin Dells / Columbia County / Art, Sport & Entertainment / Related Stories / Everyday Life / Nature & Environment / 1880-1900 / 1900-1920 / Region 7 - South Center / Lefeber Glass Plate Negatives

Images of the Wisconsin Dells (Waterparks Not Included!)

More than a century before the Wisconsin Dells became the "Waterpark Capital of the World," it was a famous tourist destination known for its scenic beauty. Guides began taking sightseers in rowboats along the Wisconsin River as early as the 1850s, and…

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February 21, 2024