Nature & Environment

Object Histories / Milwaukee County / Milwaukee / Maritime Industry / 1848-1877 / Nature & Environment / Society & Religion / Transportation & Tourism / Region 8 - South East / Lifesaving Medal

OBJECT HISTORY: Lifesaving Medal

All along Wisconsin’s 820 miles of Great Lakes shoreline, storms could mean the difference between profit and financial ruin, survival and terrifying death. This lifesaving medal reminds us of the risks that sailors and Wisconsin’s maritime communities have routinely faced since the early 19th century, and it documents the personal bravery, dedication, and ingenuity of those who would rescue their fellows…

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April 9, 2015

Education / 1787-1848 / Williams Bay / Related Stories / 1848-1877 / Walworth County / 1877-1900 / Nature & Environment / Science & Medicine / Region 7 - South Center / Yerkes Telescope

Williams Bay, Wisconsin

Captain Israel Williams founded Williams Bay, Wisconsin, in 1835. Williams and his two sons originally traveled to Wisconsin from their Massachusetts home to look for good farmland. Williams Bay was later named in honor of Captain Williams.Until 1890, only a few families…

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December 9, 2014

Science & Technology / Education / Related Stories / Williams Bay / Walworth County / 1900-1918 / Nature & Environment / 1918-1945 / Science & Medicine / Region 8 - South East / Yerkes Telescope

Astronomy in the 1900s

In the 1800s, astronomers valued telescope magnification to investigate planets and stars. In the 1900s, astronomers started to ask questions about the structure of our galaxy, the Milky Way, which lead to greater emphasis on light-gathering power. By 1951, William Morgan at…

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December 9, 2014

Science & Technology / Education / Related Stories / Williams Bay / Walworth County / 1877-1900 / Nature & Environment / Science & Medicine / Region 8 - South East / Yerkes Telescope

Yerkes Telescope Construction and Use

The construction of the 40-inch refracting telescope at Yerkes Observatory in Williams Bay, Wisconsin, was directed by George Hale, an astrophysicist at the University of Chicago, and funded by Charles Yerkes, a Chicago businessman. The telescope is made of 40-inch glass lenses manufactured by the…

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December 9, 2014

Milwaukee County / Related Stories / Whitefish Bay / 1877-1900 / Manufacturing & Trade / 1900-1918 / Nature & Environment / 1918-1945 / 1945-1965 / Society & Religion / Cassel Soda Bottle / Region 8 - South East

Whitefish Bay Urbanization

In the late 1800s, meatpacking, wheat processing and brewing industrialization boomed in Milwaukee. This increase of manufacturing attracted workers from all over the country to move to Milwaukee. In fact, from 1870-1900, Milwaukee’s population quadrupled. Milwaukee's housing infrastructure couldn't support this drastic…

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October 1, 2014

Milwaukee / Milwaukee County / Related Stories / 1877-1900 / 1900-1918 / Nature & Environment / Cassel Soda Bottle / Transportation & Tourism / Region 8 - South East

Pabst Whitefish Bay Resort

When Chicago’s population boomed in the 1800s, the newcomers frequently traveled “up north” to Milwaukee for vacations. Several Milwaukee-based companies built resorts in the towns surrounding the city to increase profits from tourists. These “resort towns” attracted visitors from all over Wisconsin…

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October 1, 2014