Wisconsin 101

OBJECT HISTORY: A Hudson’s Bay Company Point Blanket Coat

This wool coat was constructed from a ‘point blanket’ made by the Hudson’s Bay Company, likely during the early 1920s. A Wausau businessman wore it at one of the town’s early Winter Frolics, an annual winter sports festival that attracted tourists from as far as Chicago. The businessman belonged to a group of local business…

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February 1, 2018

Art, Sport & Entertainment / Antigo / Object Histories / Langlade County / Sports & Games / Wisconsin Made / Global Connections / Manufacturing & Trade / Region 2 - North East / 1945-1965 / Vulcan Bowling Pin

OBJECT HISTORY: Vulcan Bowling Pin

This bowling pin was produced by the Vulcan Corporation in Antigo, Wisconsin, sometime in the late 1950s after Vulcan had introduced its patented “Nyl-Tuf Supreme” plastic coating (as indicated by the pin’s red label).

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February 1, 2016

Art, Sport & Entertainment / Antigo / Sports & Games / Related Stories / Langlade County / Global Connections / 1945-1965 / Region 2 - North East / Vulcan Bowling Pin

Bowling in Japan

In 1964, a representative of Japanese company Sanko Trading visited the Vulcan Corporation, a bowling-pin manufacturer based in Antigo, Wisconsin. Sanko was seeking a deal for exclusive rights to import bowling pins to Japan. At the time, Vulcan didn’t think much of the…

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February 1, 2016

Broad History / Art, Sport & Entertainment / Milwaukee County / Milwaukee / Ethnicity & Identity / Related Stories / Sports & Games / Region 8 - South East / Vulcan Bowling Pin

Milwaukee: The Bowling Capital of America

Bowling evolved in the mid-nineteenth century United States from imported European games like the German kegling. Beginning with clubs in eastern U.S cities, bowling grew in popularity and spread to the Midwest—particularly cities like Milwaukee—as German-Americans migrated across the continent. Bowling was often…

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February 1, 2016

Broad History / Art, Sport & Entertainment / Antigo / Industry / Clothing, Apparel & Fashion / Langlade County / Related Stories / Sports & Games / Everyday Life / Manufacturing & Trade / Region 2 - North East / Vulcan Bowling Pin

The Vulcan Corporation

The Vulcan Corporation was founded in 1909 in Ohio as a manufacturer of wooden shoe lasts. The business really took off once they developed a new shoe last turning lathe. In 1919, Vulcan started a plant in Crandon, Wisconsin, which made “rough-turned”—or unfinished—lasts.…

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February 1, 2016

Art, Sport & Entertainment / Wolf River / Sports & Games / Related Stories / Langlade County / Manufacturing & Trade / Nature & Environment / 1945-1965 / Region 2 - North East / Mepps Fishing Lure

Squirrel Tails Wanted? The Improved Mepps Lure

Driving through Antigo, visitors are often puzzled by a sign proclaiming “Squirrel Tails Wanted” advertised by Sheldons’ Inc., manufacturer of Mepps lures. Squirrel tail hair has unique properties ideal for lures. [1] Its addition to the Anglia has proven to be the…

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October 30, 2015