Wisconsin 101

The 1911 Workman’s Compensation Act and the Birth of an Industry

Wisconsin passed the nation’s first constitutionally upheld worker’s compensation law in 1911. It is one of the great successes of Progressive-era social legislation and a triumph of the Wisconsin Idea.1Previously, American workers toiling in industrialized workplaces had often faced the threat of…

Comments Off

November 24, 2016

Health & Medicine / Dairy Industry / Food & Cooking / Industry / Related Stories / Everyday Life / 1877-1900 / 1900-1918 / Manufacturing & Trade / 1918-1945 / Science & Medicine / Horlick's Malted Milk

Malted Milk and Infant Nutrition

Although known today mostly as a flavoring for milk shakes and chocolate-covered malt balls, malted milk made its first appearance in the 1880s as a substitute for human breast milk. At that time, breastfeeding babies began to lose its appeal among both…

Comments Off

October 3, 2016

Racine / Dairy Industry / Health & Medicine / Food & Cooking / Industry / Related Stories / Racine County / 1848-1877 / 1877-1900 / 1900-1918 / Manufacturing & Trade / Science & Medicine / Region 8 - South East / Horlick's Malted Milk

Horlick’s Malted Milk Company

Founded in 1873, under the name “J & W Horlick Company,” the Horlick’s Malted Milk Company was the creation of brothers William and James Horlick. The company specialized in producing malted milk as a nutritional supplement in a variety of forms: from…

Comments Off

October 1, 2016

Racine / Health & Medicine / Food & Cooking / Related Stories / Racine County / Everyday Life / 1848-1877 / Global Connections / 1877-1900 / 1900-1918 / Manufacturing & Trade / Science & Medicine / Region 8 - South East / Horlick's Malted Milk

The Father of Malted Milk

William Horlick was born on February 23, 1846 to James and Priscilla Horlick in the village of Ruardean, Gloucestershire, England. In 1869, William made his first voyage to the United States to visit his distant uncle, Joseph A. Horlick of Racine, Wisconsin.…

2 Comments

October 1, 2016

Art, Sport & Entertainment / Menomonie / Education / Related Stories / Dunn County / 1877-1900 / 1900-1918 / Region 3 - Center West / Wilson Place Door

The Stout Institute and Educational Innovation

Wilson Place Mansion in Menomonie, Wisconsin, was once the home of James Huff Stout (1848-1910), a lumber baron, longtime state senator, and philanthropist. He is best known for founding the Stout Institute, now the University of Wisconsin-Stout. According to local tradition, Stout…

Comments Off

March 9, 2016

Home Furnishings / Art, Sport & Entertainment / Art & Design / Related Stories / 1877-1900 / 1900-1918 / Wilson Place Door

The Arts & Crafts Movement

Wisconsin’s Stout Institute is a major landmark of educational innovation in state history. With its emphasis on creativity as well as vocational preparation, the school was greatly influenced by the Arts and Crafts Movement, then a major force in artistic, cultural, and progressive political…

Comments Off

March 7, 2016