Wisconsin 101

OBJECT HISTORY: A Hmong Baby Sash

We are surrounded by objects that seem very ordinary, but once we look closer, they often reveal deep connections to the history of our state and our communities. In this Object History, Pao Vue writes about the thread-bare baby sash he found in his mother’s room that, it turns out, once saved his life and…

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July 15, 2018

Broad History / Pre-1787 / Lake Koshkonong / Industry / Ethnicity & Identity / 1787-1848 / Related Stories / 1848-1877 / A Duck Decoy / 1877-1900 / Jefferson County / Manufacturing & Trade / 1900-1918 / Nature & Environment / 1918-1945 / Region 7 - South Center

When Lake Koshkonong was a Marsh

Maintaining practices like an annual visit to Lake Koshkanong to hunt and harvest food is an important way for indigenous knowledge and culture to be passed-on to the next generation.

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July 1, 2018

Home Furnishings / Oconto / Agriculture / Object Histories / Ethnicity & Identity / Everyday Life / Global Connections / Manufacturing & Trade / Oconto County / 1945-1965 / Region 2 - North East / Migrant Worker's Cabin

OBJECT HISTORY: Migrant Worker’s Cabin

This cabin, once occupied by a family of migrant workers employed by the Bond Pickle Company, is located at the property of Thomas and Jamie Sobush of Pensaukee, Wisconsin. The cabin was originally one of many other small cabins, clustered together at the Bond Village Migrant Camp on Van Hecke Avenue in Oconto, Wisconsin. The…

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September 1, 2017

Oconto / Agriculture / Industry / Ethnicity & Identity / Related Stories / Global Connections / Manufacturing & Trade / 1918-1945 / Oconto County / 1945-1965 / Region 2 - North East / 1965-1987 / Migrant Worker's Cabin

Migrant Workers and the Bond Pickle Company

The Bond Pickle Company of Oconto, Wisconsin was founded in 1915 by five brothers. The Bond brothers quickly developed the firm, by 1917 acquiring 10 “salting stations” where the cucumbers were received from local farmers and a processing factory on West Main Street in…

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September 1, 2017

Oconto / Agriculture / Ethnicity & Identity / Related Stories / Global Connections / Manufacturing & Trade / Oconto County / Politics & Government / 1945-1965 / Region 2 - North East / Society & Religion / 1965-1987 / Migrant Worker's Cabin

Wisconsin’s Migrant Housing Laws

Before World War II, most of the migrant workers in Wisconsin’s pickle fields were single young men, and pickle companies provided housing for workers in large dormitories. After World War II, however, farmers began to hire more families to harvest pickles in…

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September 1, 2017

Agriculture / Food & Cooking / Industry / Ethnicity & Identity / Door County / Related Stories / Global Connections / Manufacturing & Trade / Nature & Environment / 1918-1945 / Politics & Government / 1945-1965 / Transportation & Tourism / Region 5 - Center East / Cherryland T-Shirt

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