Wisconsin 101

Orlando Metcalfe Poe and Wisconsin’s Waterways

Orlando Metcalfe Poe (1832-1895) 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 designs and his design of major systems of ship locks and canals on…

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May 10, 2023

New Glarus / Dairy Industry / Industry / Food & Cooking / Related Stories / 1848-1877 / Green County / 1877-1900 / Manufacturing & Trade / 1900-1918 / 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

New Glarus / Ethnicity & Identity / Related Stories / 1787-1848 / Green County / 1848-1877 / Global Connections / 1877-1900 / Region 7 - South Center / Swiss Cheese Kettle

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

Health & Medicine / Waukesha / Related Stories / 1877-1900 / 1900-1918 / Waukesha County / Nature & Environment / Transportation & Tourism / Region 8 - South East / Henk Mineral Spring Water Bottle

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

Famed for its healing properties, the mineral spring water of Waukesha, Wisconsin grew widely popular during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Waukesha Springs Era (1868-1914) saw the rise of over 200 spring water companies and a robust resort culture.…

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February 20, 2023

Food & Cooking / Waukesha / Related Stories / Everyday Life / 1877-1900 / Manufacturing & Trade / 1900-1918 / Nature & Environment / Waukesha County / 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

Broad History / Industry / Grant County / Education / Related Stories / Platteville / Mining Industry / Manufacturing & Trade / Nature & Environment / Region 6 - South West / Ingersoll-Sergeant Pneumatic Rock Drill

Platteville’s Mining History

The Platteville lead boom spanned from 1827 to 1849, bringing diverse groups of people and the mining industry to what would later become southwest Wisconsin. In 1827, galena (lead ore) was discovered in Platteville by frontiersmen exploring the Northwest Territory, which included…

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December 21, 2022