Wisconsin 101

Sturgeon Bay Shipbuilding and Drydock Company

The Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal opened in 1881 to provide a sailing route through the Door Peninsula to both shorten the shipping distance between cities on Green Bay and Lake Michigan and to avoid the treacherous waters of the Porte des Mortes…

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June 10, 2025

Madison / Dane County / Related Stories / 1848-1877 / 1877-1900 / 1900-1918 / Politics & Government / Society & Religion / Region 7 - South Center / John Potter's Monster Knife

The Development of Progressive Politics in Wisconsin from Abolition into the Twentieth Century

The legacy of abolitionists and anti-slavery figures didn’t end with the Civil War or the abolition of slavery, indeed many of the political and moral sentiments that fueled this movement for freedom continued on and inspired other political movements in Wisconsin, particularly…

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October 30, 2024

Baraboo / Art, Sport & Entertainment / Music, Theatre & Cinema / Related Stories / 1900-1918 / Sauk County / Region 7 - South Center / Usher Uniform

The Al Ringling Theater

Albert (“Al”) Ringling was the eldest brother of the Ringling family and was credited with both the creation of the famous Ringling Brothers Circus and the construction of the Ringling Theatre. Al also played an incredibly important role within the circus as its program…

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July 18, 2024

Art, Sport & Entertainment / New Object Histories / Baraboo / Object Histories / Music, Theatre & Cinema / Clothing, Apparel & Fashion / 1900-1918 / Sauk County / Region 7 - South Center / Usher Uniform

OBJECT HISTORY: Ringling Theater Usher Uniform

On November 17, 1915, the Ringling Theatre opened in the city of Baraboo, Wisconsin; the newest movie palace in the area at a time, these venues were becoming increasingly popular throughout the United States. Movie palaces were a curated experience, where one…

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July 17, 2024

Wisconsin Dells / Columbia County / Related Stories / Everyday Life / 1900-1918 / Nature & Environment / Transportation & Tourism / Region 7 - South Center / Lefeber Glass Plate Negatives

Images of the Wisconsin Dells (Waterparks Not Included!)

More than a century before the Wisconsin Dells became the "Waterpark Capital of the World," it was a famous tourist destination known for its scenic beauty. Guides began taking sightseers in rowboats along the Wisconsin River as early as the 1850s, and…

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February 21, 2024

Milwaukee County / Wauwatosa / Related Stories / Everyday Life / 1900-1918 / 1918-1945 / Region 8 - South East / Lefeber Glass Plate Negatives

Images of a Treasured Childhood: At Home in Wauwatosa with the Lefebers

In the first decades of the 20th century, Wauwatosa was well on its way to becoming a bedroom suburb of Milwaukee. Families were moving into newly developed subdivisions built on land that once grew grain, fruit, and vegetables for the large Milwaukee…

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February 21, 2024