1848-1877

La Crosse / Dane County / Madison / Ethnicity & Identity / Related Stories / 1848-1877 / Global Connections / La Crosse County / Society & Religion / Region 3 - Center West / Region 7 - South Center / Norwegian Genealogical Plaque

The Emigranten and Other Norwegian-Language Papers

Throughout the 19th century, Wisconsin was home to dozens of foreign-language newspapers representing cultures from throughout Europe. These papers provided opportunities to create connections in America, maintain homeland networks, and keep current with news in their native language.

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July 1, 2019

New Glarus / Agriculture / Dairy Industry / Industry / Ethnicity & Identity / Related Stories / 1848-1877 / Green County / Global Connections / 1877-1900 / Manufacturing & Trade / 1900-1918 / Region 7 - South Center / The Hefty-Blum White Barn

The Swiss Roots of America’s “Dairyland”

When the wheat crop failures of the late nineteenth century jeopardized the incomes of many of Wisconsin’s immigrant farmers, the region’s Swiss population transitioned to a trade that they knew from the Old World: dairying and cheesemaking. To do this, Swiss farmers…

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September 10, 2018

Grant County / Industry / Ethnicity & Identity / 1787-1848 / Iowa County / Related Stories / Platteville / 1848-1877 / Pleasant Ridge / Manufacturing & Trade / Society & Religion / Region 6 - South West / James D. Williams' Windlass

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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August 1, 2018

Broad History / Pre-1787 / Lake Koshkonong / Industry / Ethnicity & Identity / 1787-1848 / Related Stories / 1848-1877 / A Duck Decoy / 1877-1900 / Jefferson County / Manufacturing & Trade / 1900-1918 / Nature & Environment / 1918-1945 / Region 7 - South Center

When Lake Koshkonong was a Marsh

Maintaining practices like an annual visit to Lake Koshkanong to hunt and harvest food is an important way for indigenous knowledge and culture to be passed-on to the next generation.

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July 1, 2018

Agriculture / Broad History / Industry / Door County / Related Stories / 1848-1877 / 1877-1900 / Manufacturing & Trade / 1900-1918 / Nature & Environment / 1918-1945 / 1945-1965 / Transportation & Tourism / Region 5 - Center East / Cherryland T-Shirt

The Cherry Industry in Door County

While early European immigrants in Door County survived by subsistence farming, efforts in later years to grow cash crops proved challenging, due in large part to the area’s rocky landscape. Despite little success with traditional crops, Door County residents continued to look…

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July 1, 2017

Military History / Object Histories / Ozaukee County / 1848-1877 / Politics & Government / Region 8 - South East / Draft Drum

OBJECT HISTORY: Draft Drum

The hollow metal cylinder sits on the rusted, triangular metal base. A latch and a small hinged door are open, exposing a small square hole where the names of potential draftees could be placed. A thin metal crank protrudes from the center of the cylinder ready to be turned at any moment. This is a…

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June 7, 2017