Wisconsin 101

OBJECT HISTORY: Plank Roads

Before the 1850s, Wisconsin did not have roads, at least not ones you would recognize. As more people moved to Wisconsin, settlers cut thick prairies and forests into roads, but these were just dirt paths that were often quite muddy. As a solution, Wisconsinites decided to build plank roads which had a lot of advantages over the dirt ones.

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September 10, 2019

Soo Engine 1003 / Maritime Industry / Related Stories / Lumber Industry / Mining Industry / 1877-1900 / 1900-1918 / Region 1 - North West / 1918-1945 / Transportation & Tourism

The Soo Line

In the second half of the nineteenth century, railroads remade the geography of the Midwest. In an era when roads were often muddy filled with holes, the railroad made it faster to travel from Superior to Milwaukee by rail than from Superior…

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April 15, 2019

Soo Engine 1003 / Industry / Object Histories / 1900-1918 / Region 1 - North West / 1918-1945 / Transportation & Tourism

OBJECT HISTORY: Soo Line Engine #1003

In the second half of the nineteenth century, railroads remade the geography of the Midwest. In an era when roads were often muddy filled with holes, the railroad made it faster to travel from Superior to Milwaukee by rail than from Superior to Ashland by wagon. In Wisconsin, the Chicago and Northwestern, The Milwaukee Road,…

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April 15, 2019

Art, Sport & Entertainment / Object Histories / Grant County / Ellenboro / Industry / Wisconsin Made / 1877-1900 / Manufacturing & Trade / Transportation & Tourism / Region 6 - South West / Sterling Safety Bicycle

OBJECT HISTORY: The Crab Tree Special

In the 1890s, mass-produced safety bicycles sparked a bicycle craze across Wisconsin. However, despite the lowered costs associated with mass production, not everyone could afford this new luxury. Walter Atkinson of Ellenboro, Wisconsin, was not going to let a $100 price tag deter him from experiencing the liberating power of bicycle transportation. Tapping into the…

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February 10, 2019

Milwaukee / Milwaukee County / Object Histories / 1877-1900 / Society & Religion / Transportation & Tourism / Region 8 - South East / Old World Wisconsin

OBJECT HISTORY: Badger Wheelmen Pin

During the 1880s bicycling became very popular, and many cycling clubs opened across America. The Badger Wheelmen was a cycling club based in Milwaukee. In clubs, cycling fans could meet and share their love for bicycles. In that era, many people joined social clubs to improve themselves or the world around them. Members wore pins…

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November 1, 2018

Dairy Industry / Object Histories / Industry / Madison / Dane County / Food & Cooking / Wisconsin Made / Everyday Life / Manufacturing & Trade / Babcock Butterfat Tester / 1945-1965 / Transportation & Tourism / Region 7 - South Center

OBJECT HISTORY: Babcock Ice Cream Carton

Ice cream has been a delicacy for hundreds of years, but in the last century, Wisconsin has come to be considered home to some of the world’s best ice cream. Babcock Hall, established in 1951, has contributed to this reputation, establishing ice cream as a symbol both of Wisconsin’s dairy farming past and its appeal…

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October 15, 2018