Wisconsin 101

The Consolidated Badger Cooperative and the Shawano Milk Strike of May 1933

In the aftermath of the 1929 Wall Street Market Crash and the subsequent Great Depression, Wisconsin farmers struggled to meet the costs of production associated with dairy commodities. As a tool to improve their standard of living, some of Wisconsin’s farmers turned…

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June 27, 2023

Rhinelander / Hodag Decanter / Art & Design / Object Histories / Food & Cooking / Wisconsin Made / Lumber Industry / Region 2 - North East / Oneida County / 1965-1987

OBJECT HISTORY: Hodag Decanter

A fearsome sight to behold, the horrible Hodag is rumored to stalk the Northwoods of Wisconsin. First “spotted” in the lumber town of Rhinelander in the late 1800s, the hoax of the Hodag took on a life of its own and made…

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May 15, 2023

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

Dairy Industry / New Glarus / Industry / Food & Cooking / Object Histories / Ethnicity & Identity / Green County / 1848-1877 / Everyday Life / Global Connections / Manufacturing & Trade / Region 7 - South Center / Swiss Cheese Kettle

OBJECT HISTORY: Swiss Cheese Kettle

This cheese kettle, now held at the Swiss Historical Village in New Glarus, reflects Green County’s cheesemaking past. Made out of copper because of its ability to retain heat well and to be heated easily on an open fire, this cheese kettle…

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April 17, 2023

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

Food & Cooking / Waukesha / Object Histories / Everyday Life / 1877-1900 / Waukesha County / Nature & Environment / Science & Medicine / Transportation & Tourism / Region 8 - South East / Henk Mineral Spring Water Bottle

OBJECT HISTORY: Henk Mineral Spring Water Bottle

Once a small prairie town, Waukesha, Wisconsin became known as Spring City during the late 19th century with the discovery and promotion of healing springs throughout the county. Through marketing and advertisement, Waukesha’s mineral spring water gained a reputation for its purity…

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February 19, 2023