Wisconsin 101

From Fairs to Football Games: A History of Camp Randall

University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Camp Randall Stadium has been through many transformations yet has remained a pillar of statewide community. First put to public use as fairground enjoyed by residents across the state of Wisconsin, the site housed the state’s largest soldier training…

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September 26, 2023

Military History / Dane County / Madison / Related Stories / 1848-1877 / Politics & Government / Region 7 - South Center / Box of Chlorinium

Camp Randall Prison Camp

Madison residents crowded outside the local railroad station in April of 1862 and awaited the arrival of Confederate prisoners to be held at Camp Randall. Surprisingly, the Northerners met the newcomers, many among which were riddled with disease, with sympathy and curiosity…

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September 26, 2023

Military History / New Object Histories / Madison / Dane County / Object Histories / 1848-1877 / Politics & Government / Science & Medicine / Region 7 - South Center / Box of Chlorinium

OBJECT HISTORY: Box of Chlorinium

Madison’s beloved Camp Randall Stadium holds a rich history many football fans are unaware of as they pass under the iconic Memorial Arch entrance. A box of chlorinium, tucked away in the Wisconsin Historical Society archives, opens the window to Civil War-era…

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September 26, 2023

Industry / Broad History / Maritime Industry / Military History / Manitowoc / Related Stories / Manitowoc County / Manufacturing & Trade / Nature & Environment / Politics & Government / Region 5 - Center East / Transportation & Tourism / Manitowoc Breakwater Lighthouse

Manitowoc’s Maritime Identity

The city of Manitowoc has been deeply shaped by its maritime industry. Located directly on the shores of Lake Michigan, Manitowoc’s identity is intimately tied to the Great Lakes. Manitowoc utilized the access to Lake Michigan to build an economy fueled by…

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May 29, 2023

Read more about the article The Whiskey War of 1854

The Wisconsin House (left) and Al Ringling Theatre (right). Before the theater was built, the Wisconsin House occupied the land. The Brick Tavern—located within the Wisconsin House—was the main target of the Baraboo Whiskey War, an event that would see its stock dumped. The Theatre was built in 1915 on the same site. Courtesy of the Wisconsin Historical Society ID # 29104 & 72938

Military History / Baraboo / Related Stories / 1848-1877 / Sauk County / Politics & Government / Society & Religion / Region 7 - South Center / The Canfield Temperance Case

The Whiskey War of 1854

Alcohol consumption is an integral and often contentious facet of American life and has been for most of the nation’s history. In the 1800s, the public believed alcohol had medicinal properties and regulated health. However, the harmful effects of drunkenness on the…

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October 4, 2022

Indigenous Wisconsin / Art & Design / Military History / Art, Sport & Entertainment / Object Histories / Clothing, Apparel & Fashion / Door County / Ethnicity & Identity / 1900-1918 / Politics & Government / Region 5 - Center East / Potawatomi Beaded 'Soldier Coat'

OBJECT HISTORY: Potawatomi Beaded ‘Soldier Coat’

An elder spokesman for the Potawatomi Indians, Chief Simon Onanguisse Kahquados made a number of trips to Washington, D.C. in the early twentieth century in an effort to regain land that his people had lost through treaties with the United States government in the 1800s. Kahquados wore this coat on his last trip to Washington and also wore it on other important occasions, such as trips to the state capital in Madison where he often spent time researching and presenting information about his ancestry.

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September 10, 2020