Wisconsin 101

Slavery in Wisconsin

Slavery in Wisconsin

It may come as a surprise to learn that during the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries slavery existed in the region that would become the state of Wisconsin. Over this period, thousands of enslaved African Americans or enslaved American Indians lived and…

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September 11, 2018

Read more about the article What is a Point Blanket Coat?

In 1818 Anna Maria von Phul painted this picture of a Native American woman wearing a white wool trade blanket. Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Wausau / 1800-1820 / Ethnicity & Identity / Clothing & Fashion / Related Stories / 1820-1840 / 1840-1860 / Marathon County / Global Connections / 1860-1880 / Manufacturing & Trade / 1880-1900 / Region 2 - North East / A Hudson's Bay Company Point Blanket Coat

What is a Point Blanket Coat?

The practice of converting Hudson’s Bay Company blankets into coats began years before the company began mass-manufacturing point blanket coats in the twentieth century. During the fur trade, Native Americans hunters traded beaver pelts for wool point blankets. Point blankets were waterproof…

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June 7, 2018

Pre-1600 / 1600-1800 / 1800-1820 / Wolf River / Related Stories / Langlade County / 1820-1840 / 1840-1860 / 1860-1880 / Manufacturing & Trade / 1880-1900 / Nature & Environment / Region 2 - North East / 1900-1920 / Politics, Society & Government / 1920-1940 / 1940-1960 / 1960-1980 / Transportation & Tourism / 1980-2000 / 2000-2020 / 2020-2040 / Mepps Fishing Lure

The Wolf River

Todd Sheldon first discovered the virtues of the Mepps Aglia spinner and later realized improvements afforded by a tuft of squirrel tail while fishing at one of his favorite spots: the Wolf River. Today the Wolf continues to be a destination for sports…

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May 24, 2018

Pre-1600 / 1600-1800 / Related Stories / 1800-1820 / 1820-1840 / 1840-1860 / 1860-1880 / 1880-1900 / Science & Medicine / Cupping Kit

What is Cupping?

Until the late nineteenth century, cupping was widely used for the treatment of inflammation and deep-seated pain believed to be due to an imbalance of the humors. A physician or barber surgeon would begin cupping by selecting the appropriate cup based on the amount…

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May 3, 2018

Pre-1600 / 1600-1800 / Related Stories / 1800-1820 / 1820-1840 / 1840-1860 / 1860-1880 / 1880-1900 / Science & Medicine / Cupping Kit

Humoral Medicine and Cupping

Humoral medicine began in Ancient Greece and continued in popularity until the late nineteenth century. Humoral theory was based on the belief that the body was composed of four humors/temperaments (black bile, yellow bile, phlegm, and blood) and was influenced by the…

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May 3, 2018

Pre-1600 / Home Furnishings / 1600-1800 / 1800-1820 / Ethnicity & Identity / 1820-1840 / 1840-1860 / 1860-1880 / 1880-1900 / 1900-1920 / 1920-1940 / 1940-1960 / 1960-1980 / 1980-2000 / 2000-2020 / 2020-2040

OBJECT HISTORY: Cradleboard

Native Americans used cradleboards in North America to protect, carry, and entertain their babies. Cradleboards allowed women to keep babies close to their side. Women carried cradleboards on their backs. They also could rest them against a tree. The cradleboard protected babies from danger and kept them happy. Native tribes made cradleboards in many ways,…

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June 9, 2017