Wisconsin 101

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

Health & Medicine / Waukesha / Related Stories / 1877-1900 / 1900-1918 / Nature & Environment / Waukesha County / Transportation & Tourism / Region 8 - South East / Henk Mineral Spring Water Bottle

The Saratoga of the West: Resort Culture in the Waukesha Springs Era

Famed for its healing properties, the mineral spring water of Waukesha, Wisconsin grew widely popular during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Waukesha Springs Era (1868-1914) saw the rise of over 200 spring water companies and a robust resort culture.…

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February 20, 2023

Health & Medicine / Home Furnishings / Industry / Sheboygan / Object Histories / Wisconsin Made / Everyday Life / 1900-1918 / Manufacturing & Trade / Sheboygan County / Region 5 - Center East / The 1904 Kohler “Armeda” Toilet

OBJECT HISTORY: The 1904 Kohler “Armeda” Toilet

By the year 1904, when the “Armeda” toilet pictured here appeared in the Kohler Company’s product catalogue, Sheboygan-based Kohler had become one of the largest makers of bathroom furnishings in the United States. Even at this early date in its history, as…

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November 10, 2020

Health & Medicine / Home Furnishings / Industry / Related Stories / Everyday Life / 1877-1900 / Manufacturing & Trade / Science & Medicine / The 1904 Kohler “Armeda” Toilet

The Bathroom as a Household Space

When we think of a “bathroom,” we usually imagine a room containing three standard fixtures—a bathtub, a sink, and a toilet. Bathrooms such as these are so universal in homes today that we can hardly imagine a time when they did not…

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November 10, 2020

Health & Medicine / Hamburg / Related Stories / Marathon County / 1918-1945 / Nature & Environment / Science & Medicine / Region 4 - Center / Fromm Fox Fur Coat

Canine Distemper and the Fromm Vaccine

One of the most formidable problems that fur farmers faced in in the early twentieth century were the epidemic diseases that would strike their herds each year. Many fur farmers had come to see losses to distemper and other diseases as a…

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January 1, 2017

Health & Medicine / Education / Related Stories / Manufacturing & Trade / 1918-1945 / 1945-1965 / Science & Medicine / Employers Mutual Audiometer

Promoting Workplace Safety

For an insurance company like Employers Mutual, it made sense to try to promote safety in the workplace. Reducing the number of industrial accidents would naturally lead to less money lost to claims. But Employers Mutual was also very adept at translating its…

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November 24, 2016