Wisconsin 101

OBJECT HISTORY: Victor Berger Campaign Banner

Milwaukee teacher and newspaper editor Victor L. Berger was arguably the most successful Socialist politician in the United States. This large poster documents Berger's campaign for United States Senate in a special election in April 1918.

Comments Off

September 10, 2018

Milwaukee County / Milwaukee / Ethnicity & Identity / Related Stories / Curators' Favorites / 1900-1918 / 1918-1945 / Politics & Government / Region 8 - South East / Victor Berger Campaign Banner

Wisconsin’s 1918 Special Election for Senate and the Trial of Victor Berger

In 1918, Wisconsin held a special election to fill the seat of recently deceased Senator Paul Husting, who had been elected in 1914. The election was a three-way race between Democrat Joseph E. Davies, Republican Irvine L. Lenroot, and Socialist Victor L. Berger. Running under federal indictment, Berger placed third. He won 26% of the vote statewide in the April Senate election, winning 11 counties.

Comments Off

September 10, 2018

Milwaukee / Milwaukee County / Related Stories / Curators' Favorites / 1877-1900 / 1900-1918 / 1918-1945 / Politics & Government / Region 8 - South East / Victor Berger Campaign Banner

Victor Berger and the Sewer Socialists

Victor Berger, one of the "Sewer Socialists," became the first Socialist to serve in the United States House of Representatives, winning the election in Wisconsin’s 5th congressional district in 1910.

Comments Off

September 10, 2018

Home Furnishings / La Crosse / Object Histories / Education / Everyday Life / 1900-1918 / La Crosse County / Region 3 - Center West / La Crosse Normal School Fireplace

OBJECT HISTORY: La Crosse Normal School Fireplace

UW- La Crosse was once a smaller school that went by a different name. The original school, La Crosse Normal, was originally a training school for prospective teachers. It opened on September 7, 1909. Parts of the Normal School can still be seen on the UW-La Crosse campus, though they can be difficult to spot.…

Comments Off

September 1, 2018

Broad History / Industry / Lake Koshkonong / Pre-1787 / Ethnicity & Identity / 1787-1848 / Related Stories / 1848-1877 / A Duck Decoy / 1877-1900 / Jefferson County / 1900-1918 / Manufacturing & Trade / 1918-1945 / Nature & Environment / Region 7 - South Center

When Lake Koshkonong was a Marsh

Maintaining practices like an annual visit to Lake Koshkanong to hunt and harvest food is an important way for indigenous knowledge and culture to be passed-on to the next generation.

Comments Off

July 1, 2018

Wausau / Industry / Related Stories / Marathon County / 1900-1918 / A Hudson's Bay Company Point Blanket Coat / Manufacturing & Trade / Nature & Environment / 1918-1945 / Region 4 - Center / Transportation & Tourism

The Wausau Group: The Businessmen Who Revived Wausau’s Economy

Located on the Wisconsin River, Wausau developed as a logging town in the 1830s. George Stevens chose the site because of the waterfall that spanned the river, which provided power for sawmills used to turn the felled trees into lumber. The waterfall,…

Comments Off

February 1, 2018