Wisconsin 101

The Swiss Roots of America’s “Dairyland”

When the wheat crop failures of the late nineteenth century jeopardized the incomes of many of Wisconsin’s immigrant farmers, the region’s Swiss population transitioned to a trade that they knew from the Old World: dairying and cheesemaking. To do this, Swiss farmers…

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September 10, 2018

Agriculture / New Glarus / Object Histories / Ethnicity & Identity / Green County / 1877-1900 / Global Connections / Region 7 - South Center / The Hefty-Blum White Barn

OBJECT HISTORY: The Hefty-Blum White Barn

Barns are a defining feature of the Wisconsin landscape, and hold a special place in the history of Wisconsin. Among the many barns that contributed to Wisconsin’s place as a major dairy producing state is a Swiss barn that was built in 1878 in Green County. This barn, the Hefty-Blum White Barn, was used to…

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September 10, 2018

New Glarus / Agriculture / Related Stories / Ethnicity & Identity / Green County / 1918-1945 / 1945-1965 / Region 7 - South Center / The Hefty-Blum White Barn

The Evolution of a Swiss Barn

The expansion of Wisconsin’s dairy industry in the 20th century not only altered the economy of the state, but it also influenced the structure of the very barns that housed the bovine champions of the industry. Barns must be adapted and altered…

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September 10, 2018

Milwaukee / Milwaukee County / Ethnicity & Identity / Related Stories / Curators' Favorites / 1900-1918 / 1918-1945 / Politics & Government / Region 8 - South East / Victor Berger Campaign Banner

Wisconsin’s 1918 Special Election for Senate and the Trial of Victor Berger

In 1918, Wisconsin held a special election to fill the seat of recently deceased Senator Paul Husting, who had been elected in 1914. The election was a three-way race between Democrat Joseph E. Davies, Republican Irvine L. Lenroot, and Socialist Victor L. Berger. Running under federal indictment, Berger placed third. He won 26% of the vote statewide in the April Senate election, winning 11 counties.

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September 10, 2018

Object Histories / Grant County / Industry / Ethnicity & Identity / Platteville / Mining Industry / 1877-1900 / Manufacturing & Trade / Region 6 - South West / James D. Williams' Windlass

OBJECT HISTORY: James D. Williams’ Windlass

This is a machine used to lower and raise miners and materials through mine shafts in the lead mining region around Platteville, Wisconsin. Made from wooden supports with a wooden barrel shaft and crank attached to a rope with a bucket, a…

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August 1, 2018

Industry / Grant County / 1787-1848 / Ethnicity & Identity / Platteville / Related Stories / Iowa County / Pleasant Ridge / 1848-1877 / Manufacturing & Trade / Society & Religion / Region 6 - South West / James D. Williams' Windlass

Slavery in Wisconsin

It may come as a surprise to learn that during the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries slavery existed in the region that would become the state of Wisconsin. Over this period, thousands of enslaved African Americans or enslaved American Indians lived and…

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August 1, 2018