Wisconsin 101

OBJECT HISTORY: Fromm Fox Fur Coat

This coat was made from the fur of foxes raised on the Fromm Fur Farm in Hamburg, Wisconsin. The jacket is covered in light-silver fox fur and lined with a taupe fabric. Straps allow the coat to also be worn as a cape. In the early decades of the 20th century, it was fashionable to use…

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December 9, 2017

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

Agriculture / Industry / Ephraim / Object Histories / Door County / Clothing, Apparel & Fashion / Everyday Life / 1945-1965 / Region 5 - Center East / Transportation & Tourism / Cherryland T-Shirt

OBJECT HISTORY: Cherryland T-Shirt

In 1927, Marilyn Färdig’s grandparents, Andrew and Esther Färdig, purchased twenty acres of land in Ephraim, Image courtesy of the Wisconsin Historical Society. Image ID: 79142. Wisconsin, and started a cherry orchard. With the help of their seven children and workers from a variety of locations, including the southern United States, Mexico, and Jamaica, Andrew…

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July 1, 2017

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

Milwaukee / Milwaukee County / Food & Cooking / Object Histories / Ethnicity & Identity / Everyday Life / Global Connections / 1900-1918 / Society & Religion / Region 8 - South East / Settlement Cook Book

OBJECT HISTORY: Settlement Cook Book

The first edition of The Settlement Cook Book was published on April 1, 1901 with an original printing of 1,000 copies. Copies not distributed to the settlement’s cooking school students were sold at the Boston Store in Milwaukee for 50 cents each and sold out within the first year. Kander made notes on the recipe for Mocha…

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May 1, 2017

Industry / Clothing, Apparel & Fashion / Related Stories / Hamburg / Everyday Life / Marathon County / Manufacturing & Trade / Nature & Environment / 1918-1945 / Region 4 - Center / Fromm Fox Fur Coat

The Fromm Brand and the Hamburg Fur Auction

Probably the biggest reason for the success of the Fromm Brothers’ fur farm was the particular color of fur that they bred. As fashions shifted to favor the trademark Fromm “bright with silver” color, the Fromms were in a position to capitalize on their control of…

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January 1, 2017