Wisconsin 101

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 / Langlade County / Related Stories / Sports & Games / Global Connections / Region 2 - North East / 1945-1965 / 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

Art, Sport & Entertainment / Object Histories / Antigo / Wisconsin Made / Langlade County / Sports & Games / Global Connections / Manufacturing & Trade / Nature & Environment / Region 2 - North East / 1945-1965 / 1965-1987 / Mepps Fishing Lure

OBJECT HISTORY: Mepps Fishing Lure

The classic Mepps fishing lure the Aglia, was invented in France in the 1930s and patented in 1938. (Mepps is a French acronym for Manufacturier d’ Engins de Precision pour Peches Sportives, translated as “Manufacture of Precision Equipment for Sport Fishing”.) It was introduced to northern Wisconsin, and to the U.S., by a G.I. returning from France.…

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October 20, 2015

Home Furnishings / Antigo / Langlade County / Ethnicity & Identity / Related Stories / Everyday Life / Global Connections / 1900-1918 / 1918-1945 / Politics & Government / Region 2 - North East / CCC Pillow Sham

An Immigrant Family in Rural Wisconsin

Rose Mary Drab was born in southeastern Langlade County on April 23 of 1913. Her family had settled there the year before on a small farm south of Antigo. Originally named Drabowski, Rose Mary’s parents left Hungary for Chicago a few years…

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October 1, 2015

West Bend / Military History / Industry / Related Stories / Global Connections / Manufacturing & Trade / Washington County / 1918-1945 / Politics & Government / Region 8 - South East / Penguin Server

The Aluminum Industry and Wartime Demands

In 1920 the aluminum cookware industry in Wisconsin gained control of over 50 percent of the total national market, after selling less than five percent in 1910. By 1929, West Bend ranked third in the nation in sales of aluminum cookware; however, during the Great…

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August 1, 2014