Wisconsin 101

The New Deal in Wisconsin (and Beyond)

In October of 1929, the United States suffered a stock market crash that would alter the course of history. The American economy came to a screeching halt, with economic impacts that came to reverberate around the world. In Wisconsin, particularly in the…

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August 14, 2024

Greendale / Milwaukee County / Related Stories / 1918-1945 / Nature & Environment / Politics & Government / Society & Religion / Region 8 - South East / Slaske's Tools

Greendale, Greenhills, and Greenbelt: The Government’s “Green” Towns

The Greenbelt towns were the brainchild of Rexford Guy Tugwell, an economist who served as President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Undersecretary of Agriculture in 1934 and 1935. A policy advisor to President Roosevelt, Tugwell believed that he could effectively combat the Depression-era issues…

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August 14, 2024

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

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…

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August 14, 2024

Education / Dane County / Madison / 602 Club / Related Stories / Ethnicity & Identity / Politics & Government / 1945-1965 / Society & Religion / Region 7 - South Center

The Gay Purge of University of Wisconsin – Madison, 1962-63

Gay students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have not always received the protection they do today; in fact, from 1962-1963 the university attempted to systematically identify and expel gay students. The Dean of Men, in collaboration with Student Health Services and the…

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November 2, 2023

Broad History / Military History / Art, Sport & Entertainment / Madison / Dane County / Related Stories / Sports & Games / Politics & Government / Box of Chlorinium / Region 7 - South Center

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

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