Wisconsin 101

Migrant Labor and Door County Cherries

Early Door County cherry orchards relied heavily on local workers, and all members of the family that owned a cherry orchard were expected to contribute. From the planting process, spraying of fungicides, pruning, and finally cherry picking, each cherry tree required a…

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July 1, 2017

Broad History / Agriculture / Industry / Door County / Related Stories / 1848-1877 / 1877-1900 / 1900-1918 / Manufacturing & Trade / 1918-1945 / Nature & Environment / 1945-1965 / Transportation & Tourism / Region 5 - Center East / Cherryland T-Shirt

The Cherry Industry in Door County

While early European immigrants in Door County survived by subsistence farming, efforts in later years to grow cash crops proved challenging, due in large part to the area’s rocky landscape. Despite little success with traditional crops, Door County residents continued to look…

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July 1, 2017

Agriculture / Industry / Door County / Related Stories / Manufacturing & Trade / 1918-1945 / 1945-1965 / Transportation & Tourism / Region 5 - Center East / Cherryland T-Shirt

Cherryland Tourism

The beginnings of Door County tourism preceded the cherry industry boom by several decades. The natural beauty and cool temperatures made the area an attractive destination for urbanites in search of a respite from the summer heat. As transportation improved, visitors from…

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July 1, 2017

Military History / Ozaukee County / Related Stories / 1848-1877 / Politics & Government / Region 8 - South East / Draft Drum

Kemp Trial

One ringleader of the 1862 Ozaukee County Riot was Nicholas Kemp, an immigrant from Luxemburg, Germany, and blacksmith by trade, who had emigrated to America in 1846. At the time of the riot he was in the general mercantile business.In the days following the…

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June 7, 2017

Military History / Ozaukee County / Related Stories / 1848-1877 / Politics & Government / Region 8 - South East / Draft Drum

Ozaukee County Draft Riot

Following the South’s attack on Fort Sumter in 1861, Wisconsin, and the North as a whole, experienced a surge in patriotism and an eagerness to fight for the North, offering more volunteers than were needed. Due to the flood of new recruits,…

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June 1, 2017

Milwaukee / Milwaukee County / Education / Related Stories / Ethnicity & Identity / 1877-1900 / Global Connections / 1900-1918 / Society & Religion / Region 8 - South East / Settlement Cook Book

The Settlement House Movement

Mass immigration from eastern and southern Europe dramatically altered America’s ethnic and religious composition around the turn of the twentieth century. Unlike earlier immigrants, who had largely come from western European countries like Britain, Germany, Ireland, and Scandinavia, the new immigrants came…

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May 1, 2017