Wisconsin 101

Orlando Metcalf Poe and Wisconsin’s Waterways

Photograph of Orlando Metcalf Poe. Image courtesy of the Village of Wind Point Brochure. Orlando Metcalf Poe was an engineer who shaped the landscape of Wisconsin’s harbors and waterways, playing a crucial role in the development of Wisconsin’s commerce. Through his lighthouse…

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May 10, 2023

New Glarus / Food & Cooking / Ethnicity & Identity / Related Stories / Green County / Global Connections / 1860-1880 / Manufacturing & Trade / 1880-1900 / 1900-1920 / 1920-1940 / Region 7 - South Center / Swiss Cheese Kettle

Early Cheese Factories in New Glarus

Green County has long been known for its cheese factories, particularly ones making Swiss cheese. However, when the first Swiss immigrants arrived it wasn’t at all clear that they would go into cheesemaking at all. New Glarus’s rise to prominence as a…

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April 17, 2023

Swiss Immigration to New Glarus

For nearly a century, southeastern Wisconsin and especially Green County was a hotbed of Swiss immigration. Even though the immigration slowed dramatically in the early 1900s, the area still preserves a distinctive Swiss character. Visitors can attend the annual Cheese Days festivities…

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April 17, 2023

Food & Cooking / Waukesha / Related Stories / Manufacturing & Trade / 1880-1900 / Waukesha County / Nature & Environment / Science & Medicine / Region 8 - South East / Henk Mineral Spring Water Bottle

The Saratoga of the West: Resort Culture in the Waukesha Springs Era

Bethesda Spring Park, ca. 1900. The springhouse stands on the right. The spring runs into the pond, which reflects the words “1868-Bethesda.” The Terrace Hotel can be seen in the left background. People sit on the lawn and stand around the springhouse.…

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February 20, 2023

Food & Cooking / Waukesha / Related Stories / Manufacturing & Trade / 1880-1900 / Waukesha County / Nature & Environment / 1900-1920 / Science & Medicine / Region 8 - South East / Henk Mineral Spring Water Bottle

Nature’s Purest Drink: The Henk Mineral Spring Company

As a center of the mineral spring water industry in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Waukesha, Wisconsin, saw the rise of over 200 spring water companies during the period known as the Waukesha Springs Era. With over fifty mineral springs…

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February 19, 2023

Read more about the article Platteville’s Mining History

The Great Seal of the State of Wisconsin, showing a Cornish miner right of the shield, circa 1881. Image ID: 91654. Wisconsin Historical Society

Grant County / Education / Related Stories / Platteville / 1820-1840 / 1840-1860 / 1860-1880 / Manufacturing & Trade / Nature & Environment / 1880-1900 / 1900-1920 / 1920-1940 / 1940-1960 / 1960-1980 / Region 6 - South West / 1980-2000 / 2000-2020 / 2020-2040 / Ingersoll-Sergeant Pneumatic Rock Drill

Platteville’s Mining History

The Great Seal of the State of Wisconsin, showing a Cornish miner right of the shield, circa 1881. Image ID: 91654. Wisconsin Historical Society The Platteville lead boom spanned from 1827 to 1849, bringing diverse groups of people and the mining industry…

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December 21, 2022