Wisconsin 101

Read more about the article Pleasant Ridge: Southwest Wisconsin’s Integrated Pioneer Community

Schoolhouse of District #5 in Pleasant Ridge. Both Blacks and whites built, attended, and taught at the school, circa 1890. Image ID: 4239, WI Historical Society.

Pleasant Ridge: Southwest Wisconsin’s Integrated Pioneer Community

Schoolhouse of District #5 in Pleasant Ridge. Both Blacks and whites built, attended, and taught at the school, circa 1890. Image ID: 4239, WI Historical Society. Pleasant Ridge was a rural agricultural community located near present-day Beetown in central Grant County that…

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December 21, 2022

Read more about the article The Whiskey War of 1854

The Wisconsin House (left) and Al Ringling Theatre (right). Before the theater was built, the Wisconsin House occupied the land. The Brick Tavern—located within the Wisconsin House—was the main target of the Baraboo Whiskey War, an event that would see its stock dumped. The Theatre was built in 1915 on the same site. Courtesy of the Wisconsin Historical Society ID # 29104 & 72938

Baraboo / Food & Cooking / Related Stories / 1840-1860 / Sauk County / Politics, Society & Government / Religion / Region 6 - South West / The Canfield Temperance Case

The Whiskey War of 1854

Alcohol consumption is an integral and often contentious facet of American life and has been for most of the nation’s history. In the 1800s, the public believed alcohol had medicinal properties and regulated health. However, the harmful effects of drunkenness on the…

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October 4, 2022

The masthead from an 1849 issue of The Old Oaken Bucket. The masthead includes the icon of a trinity with the values of love, purity and fidelity surrounding each side. Above the trinity, the tagline “Sons of Temperance Organ” is visible. Courtesy of the Wisconsin Historical Society ID # 67985

The Temperance Movement’s Impact on Wisconsin’s Early Laws

Temperance was a defining and prominent movement in Wisconsin from the state’s admission to the union in 1848 until the mid 1850s. Temperance legislature, and the battles fought in favor of and against it, determined the state’s early legal trajectory.Temperance arrived in…

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October 4, 2022

Home Furnishings / Baraboo / Object Histories / 1840-1860 / Sauk County / Religion / Region 6 - South West / The Canfield Temperance Case

OBJECT HISTORY: The Canfield Temperance Case

The straw case pictured here was created by Cordelia Canfield in 1844. Cordelia was the wife of William Canfield, a noted local historian and surveyor of the Baraboo, WI area. Canfield’s case is approximately 1 foot long with its cap on and…

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October 4, 2022

Eau Claire / Education / Related Stories / Ethnicity & Identity / 1800-1820 / Eau Claire County / 1820-1840 / 1840-1860 / 1860-1880 / 1880-1900 / Nature & Environment / 1900-1920 / 1920-1940 / Region 3 - Center West / 1940-1960 / 1960-1980 / 1980-2000 / Council Oak Tree

UW-Eau Claire & The Council Oak Tree

Oak Trees have been regarded for centuries as a symbol of strength, moral, and knowledge, and throughout history have been represented in different mythologies to show these attributes. And for the original Council Oak Tree, grown in Eau Claire, it also held…

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October 5, 2021

Read more about the article Manhole Cover Designs and Contemporary Aesthetics

City of Madison Manhole Cover. Photo courtesy of Keith Kaziak, 2020.

Art, Sport & Entertainment / Neenah / Related Stories / 1840-1860 / Manufacturing & Trade / Winnebago County / Region 4 - Center / Transportation & Tourism / Neenah Foundry Manhole Cover

Manhole Cover Designs and Contemporary Aesthetics

Over the past 45 years, there has been a growing worldwide fascination and appreciation for the beauty and craftsmanship of manhole covers. Some enthusiasts even created a subreddit aptly titled, Manhole Porn: Sewer covers in all their glory!, celebrating this ubiquitous iron…

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September 29, 2021