Wisconsin 101

OBJECT HISTORY: Log-Marking Hammer

Between the 1840s and the 1890s, logs meant money. Wisconsin had a large supply of trees. Lumber mills made money by cutting down trees. Logging was one of the largest industries in Wisconsin. There were more than 450 lumber camps across Wisconsin. If we study this log-marking hammer and think about the people that used…

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September 10, 2020

A fiddle from a lumberjack camp. Image courtesy of Ron Dennis.

Music, Theatre & Cinema / Industry / Lumber Industry / Art, Sport & Entertainment / Object Histories / Ethnicity & Identity / Manufacturing & Trade / 1877-1900

OBJECT HISTORY: Fiddle

As the lumber industry flourished in Wisconsin beginning in the 1840s, immigrants from all over Europe and Canada came to live and work in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. All winter, men called lumberjacks would cut down pine trees, preparing the timber to be used as building material, or sometimes to be turned into pulp or…

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September 10, 2020

Industry / Lumber Industry / Medford / Object Histories / Manufacturing & Trade / 1877-1900 / Region 1 - North West / Nature & Environment / 1900-1918 / Taylor County / Bark Spud

OBJECT HISTORY: Bark Spud

The bark spud is an iron tool used to remove bark from cut timber. Most bark spuds have a steel head with a hard wooden handle. The head is rounded or dish-shaped and has one cutting edge. The sharp wedge on the end of the bark spud slides between bark and wood on a log…

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September 10, 2020

Photo by Jared Schmidt.

Art & Design / Norwegian Genealogical Plaque / Home Furnishings / Art, Sport & Entertainment / Object Histories / Lake Koshkonong / Ethnicity & Identity / Everyday Life / Global Connections / Jefferson County / 1877-1900 / Region 7 - South Center

OBJECT HISTORY: Norwegian Genealogical Plaque

Created in 1879, this beautiful plaque features the genealogy of Sara Magelssen's family, including the story of her and her husband's immigration to Wisconsin in the 1860s.

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September 10, 2020

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

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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September 9, 2020

Art & Design / Sports & Games / Wisconsin Made / Art, Sport & Entertainment / Lake Koshkonong / Object Histories / Jefferson County / 1877-1900 / Nature & Environment / A Duck Decoy / Region 7 - South Center

OBJECT HISTORY: A Duck Decoy

With its painted black bill, brown head, and white and black body, it is likely obvious to humans that this object is made out of wood. This object is called a duck decoy, and was intended to fool other ducks into settling…

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September 9, 2020