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 / Global Connections / 1840-1860 / Marathon County / 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 / Langlade County / 1800-1820 / Wolf River / Related Stories / 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

Williams Bay / Education / Related Stories / 1820-1840 / Walworth County / 1840-1860 / 1860-1880 / Yerkes Telescope / 1880-1900 / 1900-1920 / 1920-1940 / Science & Medicine / 1940-1960 / 1960-1980 / 1980-2000 / 2000-2020 / Region 7 - South Center / 2020-2040

Williams Bay, WI

Captain Israel Williams founded Williams Bay, Wisconsin, in 1835. Williams and his two sons originally traveled to Wisconsin from their Massachusetts home to look for good farmland. Williams Bay was later named in honor of Captain Williams.Until 1890, only a few families…

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May 9, 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