Wisconsin 101

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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August 1, 2020

Military History / Object Histories / Ozaukee County / 1848-1877 / Politics & Government / Region 8 - South East / Draft Drum

OBJECT HISTORY: Draft Drum

The hollow metal cylinder sits on the rusted, triangular metal base. A latch and a small hinged door are open, exposing a small square hole where the names of potential draftees could be placed. A thin metal crank protrudes from the center of the cylinder ready to be turned at any moment. This is a…

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June 7, 2017

Military History / Ozaukee County / Related Stories / 1848-1877 / Politics & Government / Region 8 - South East / Draft Drum

Kemp Trial

One ringleader of the 1862 Ozaukee County Riot was Nicholas Kemp, an immigrant from Luxemburg, Germany, and blacksmith by trade, who had emigrated to America in 1846. At the time of the riot he was in the general mercantile business.In the days following the…

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June 7, 2017

Military History / Ozaukee County / Related Stories / 1848-1877 / Politics & Government / Region 8 - South East / Draft Drum

Ozaukee County Draft Riot

Following the South’s attack on Fort Sumter in 1861, Wisconsin, and the North as a whole, experienced a surge in patriotism and an eagerness to fight for the North, offering more volunteers than were needed. Due to the flood of new recruits,…

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June 1, 2017

Broad History / Military History / Related Stories / Politics & Government / Old Abe, the Live War Eagle

Old Abe’s Visual Legacy

Old Abe: Military Icon Old Abe began his career as a real, live eagle, serving as a mascot during the Civil War. In the decades that followed, the Grand Army of the Republic brought the bird on tours around the country. In the many…

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March 10, 2017

Military History / Madison / Dane County / Object Histories / 1848-1877 / Politics & Government / Region 7 - South Center / Old Abe, the Live War Eagle

OBJECT HISTORY: Old Abe, the Live War Eagle

A bald eagle stands guard over the State Assembly Chamber in Wisconsin’s Capitol building. Between two and three feet tall, the raptor has the characteristic white head and tail feathers, a brown body, and a yellow beak and talons. He sits atop a tree stump in front of a large mural called Wisconsin that represents the state’s…

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March 10, 2017