Wisconsin 101

OBJECT HISTORY: Ricing Sticks (Bawa’iganaakoog)

Bawa’iganaakoog, threshers, or knockers, are all words used to refer to the sticks used for the harvesting of wild rice. Wild rice holds extreme cultural importance to Ojibwe culture for several reasons beyond basic sustenance; not only can it be dried and…

0 Comments

November 16, 2024

Slaske's Tools / Greendale / New Object Histories / Milwaukee County / Object Histories / Manufacturing & Trade / Politics & Government / 1918-1945 / Society & Religion / Region 8 - South East

OBJECT HISTORY: Jack Slaske’s Tool Set

In the holdings of the Greendale Historical Society is an unassuming set of tools, comprised of hand saws, planes, braces and drill bits, among other items. Though these were mass manufactured and similar tools exist all across the country, these particular tools…

0 Comments

August 14, 2024

Industry / Fish Boil Kettle / Door County / Related Stories / 1848-1877 / Manufacturing & Trade / 1877-1900 / Nature & Environment / Region 5 - Center East

Early Fishing in Northern Door County: Before the Turn of the 20th Century

The impact of the fishing industry on Door County cannot be understated, as it held the keys for the original formation of the County and many of its cities and villages. Although commercial fishing has waned, the tradition persists in area as…

0 Comments

April 10, 2024

Wauwatosa / Milwaukee County / Related Stories / Everyday Life / Manufacturing & Trade / 1877-1900 / 1900-1918 / 1918-1945 / Region 8 - South East / Lefeber Glass Plate Negatives

Wauwatosa’s Lefeber Brothers Department Store

“A clerk had to show Mother each item. She retrieved a pair of folded silk stockings and carefully inserted her hand to show how the color looked against the skin.”--Jean Lobe, from her memoir recounting her experiences growing up in Wauwatosa in…

0 Comments

January 25, 2024

Dairy Industry / Industry / Agriculture / Related Stories / Manufacturing & Trade / 1918-1945 / Society & Religion / National Guard Nightstick

The Wisconsin Milk Strikes of 1933

As the effects of the 1929 Wall Street Crash and the Great Depression rippled through the United States, many working-class Americans felt the economic impacts, including Wisconsin’s farmers. Midwestern farmers were already suffering even before the Depression, and since Wisconsin served as…

0 Comments

June 27, 2023

Industry / Agriculture / Shawano / Food & Cooking / Related Stories / Manufacturing & Trade / Politics & Government / Region 2 - North East / Shawano County / 1918-1945 / National Guard Nightstick

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…

0 Comments

June 27, 2023