Wisconsin 101

The Lumber Industry in Northern Wisconsin

Prior to the Civil War, most of northern Wisconsin was inhabited by the Menominee and Ojibwe Indians and transient fur traders of European origin. Demand for wood in Chicago and Milwaukee after the Civil War brought lumbermen to the north woods. Initially,…

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February 1, 2016

Home Furnishings / Antigo / Related Stories / Langlade County / Ethnicity & Identity / Everyday Life / Global Connections / 1900-1918 / 1918-1945 / Politics & Government / Region 2 - North East / CCC Pillow Sham

An Immigrant Family in Rural Wisconsin

Rose Mary Drab was born in southeastern Langlade County on April 23 of 1913. Her family had settled there the year before on a small farm south of Antigo. Originally named Drabowski, Rose Mary’s parents left Hungary for Chicago a few years…

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October 1, 2015

Science & Technology / Education / Related Stories / Williams Bay / Walworth County / 1900-1918 / Nature & Environment / 1918-1945 / Science & Medicine / Region 8 - South East / Yerkes Telescope

Astronomy in the 1900s

In the 1800s, astronomers valued telescope magnification to investigate planets and stars. In the 1900s, astronomers started to ask questions about the structure of our galaxy, the Milky Way, which lead to greater emphasis on light-gathering power. By 1951, William Morgan at…

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December 9, 2014

Object Histories / Milwaukee County / Food & Cooking / Everyday Life / Whitefish Bay / 1900-1918 / Manufacturing & Trade / Society & Religion / Cassel Soda Bottle / Region 8 - South East

OBJECT HISTORY: Cassel Soda Bottle

This soda bottle was sold by the Cassel Soda Company in Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, in the early 1900s. Conrad Cassel owned and managed the company from 1897-1917. The company, along with other Wisconsin soda companies during that time, made carbonated water, a beverage that would gain special significance during Prohibition. The Cassel Soda Company sold its soda to Whitefish…

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October 9, 2014

Milwaukee County / Related Stories / Whitefish Bay / 1877-1900 / Manufacturing & Trade / 1900-1918 / 1918-1945 / Nature & Environment / 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