Wisconsin 101

Yerkes Telescope Construction and Use

The construction of the 40-inch refracting telescope at Yerkes Observatory in Williams Bay, Wisconsin, was directed by George Hale, an astrophysicist at the University of Chicago, and funded by Charles Yerkes, a Chicago businessman. The telescope is made of 40-inch glass lenses manufactured by the…

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December 9, 2014

Food & Cooking / Related Stories / Everyday Life / 1877-1900 / Manufacturing & Trade / Cassel Soda Bottle

History of Soda Bottles

In the 1800s, semi-automatic machines began making glass bottles. The first soda bottles were made in 1806 and resembled ale and spirits bottles. These bottles had short, square bottoms and a small neck.The next style of soda bottles, called Saratoga bottles, looked…

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October 1, 2014

Milwaukee County / Related Stories / Whitefish Bay / 1877-1900 / 1900-1918 / Manufacturing & Trade / Nature & Environment / 1918-1945 / 1945-1965 / Society & Religion / Cassel Soda Bottle / Region 8 - South East

Whitefish Bay Urbanization

In the late 1800s, meatpacking, wheat processing and brewing industrialization boomed in Milwaukee. This increase of manufacturing attracted workers from all over the country to move to Milwaukee. In fact, from 1870-1900, Milwaukee’s population quadrupled. Milwaukee's housing infrastructure couldn't support this drastic…

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October 1, 2014

Milwaukee County / Milwaukee / Related Stories / 1877-1900 / 1900-1918 / Nature & Environment / Cassel Soda Bottle / Transportation & Tourism / Region 8 - South East

Pabst Whitefish Bay Resort

When Chicago’s population boomed in the 1800s, the newcomers frequently traveled “up north” to Milwaukee for vacations. Several Milwaukee-based companies built resorts in the towns surrounding the city to increase profits from tourists. These “resort towns” attracted visitors from all over Wisconsin…

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October 1, 2014

Home Furnishings / Port Washington / Industry / Related Stories / Ozaukee County / Everyday Life / 1877-1900 / 1900-1918 / Manufacturing & Trade / 1918-1945 / Region 8 - South East / Paramount Records 78

The Wisconsin Chair Company

Founded in 1888 by Frederick A. Dennett, the Wisconsin Chair Company (WCC) was perhaps the most important business in Ozaukee County at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth century. The company, located along the northern shore of the…

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February 16, 2014

Dairy Industry / Agriculture / Object Histories / Food & Cooking / Dane County / Madison / Industry / 1877-1900 / Manufacturing & Trade / Babcock Butterfat Tester / Science & Medicine / Region 7 - South Center

OBJECT HISTORY: Babcock Butterfat Tester

The Babcock butterfat test, developed at the University of Wisconsin, provided a simple, accurate, and inexpensive way to assess milk quality and to pay farmers accordingly. By improving standards and rewarding the best milk producers, the Babcock butterfat test transformed the dairy industry in the United States and set Wisconsin firmly on the path to…

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December 1, 2013