Wisconsin 101

Manitowoc’s Maritime Identity

The city of Manitowoc has been deeply shaped by its maritime industry. Located directly on the shores of Lake Michigan, Manitowoc’s identity is intimately tied to the Great Lakes. Manitowoc utilized the access to Lake Michigan to build an economy fueled by…

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May 29, 2023

Manitowoc / 2000-2020 / 2020-2040 / Region 5 - Center East / New Object Histories / Manitowoc Breakwater Lighthouse / Manitowoc County / Manufacturing & Trade / Object Histories / 1900-1920 / Nature & Environment / 1920-1940 / 1940-1960 / 1960-1980 / 1980-2000 / Transportation & Tourism

OBJECT HISTORY: Manitowoc Breakwater Lighthouse

Manitowoc Breakwater Lighthouse. Image courtesy of Wisconsin Historical Society ID:59505. Many of us can easily picture a lighthouse in our minds. You may think of a tall structure that’s right along a lake or ocean, illuminating the water and land it protects.…

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May 29, 2023

Wind Point Lighthouse / Racine County / Racine / 2000-2020 / 2020-2040 / Region 8 - South East / New Object Histories / Manufacturing & Trade / Science & Medicine / 1880-1900 / Object Histories / 1900-1920 / 1920-1940 / Nature & Environment / 1940-1960 / 1960-1980 / 1980-2000 / Transportation & Tourism

OBJECT HISTORY: Wind Point Lighthouse

Photo of Wind Point Lighthouse. Image courtesy of Cheryl Kaufenberg (June, 2016). Wind Point Lighthouse is located in the Village of Wind Point, which sits just north of the Racine harbor on Lake Michigan. The lighthouse was constructed in 1880 and stands…

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May 10, 2023

Region 7 - South Center / New Glarus / Related Stories / Swiss Cheese Kettle / Green County / Manufacturing & Trade / Food & Cooking / 1860-1880 / 1880-1900 / 1900-1920 / 1920-1940 / Ethnicity & Identity / Global Connections

Early Cheese Factories in New Glarus

Green County has long been known for its cheese factories, particularly ones making Swiss cheese. However, when the first Swiss immigrants arrived it wasn’t at all clear that they would go into cheesemaking at all. New Glarus’s rise to prominence as a…

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April 17, 2023

Swiss Immigration to New Glarus

For nearly a century, southeastern Wisconsin and especially Green County was a hotbed of Swiss immigration. Even though the immigration slowed dramatically in the early 1900s, the area still preserves a distinctive Swiss character. Visitors can attend the annual Cheese Days festivities…

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April 17, 2023

Waukesha County / Region 8 - South East / Related Stories / Henk Mineral Spring Water Bottle / Waukesha / Food & Cooking / Manufacturing & Trade / Science & Medicine / 1880-1900 / 1900-1920 / Nature & Environment

Nature’s Purest Drink: The Henk Mineral Spring Company

As a center of the mineral spring water industry in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Waukesha, Wisconsin, saw the rise of over 200 spring water companies during the period known as the Waukesha Springs Era. With over fifty mineral springs…

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February 19, 2023