Wisconsin 101

Emelie Manthei’s Point Blanket Coat

When the Great Depression hit Wausau in the 1930s, Emelie Manthei (now Emelie Borth) was a high school student from a working-class family. Her father lost his job before finding employment with the Works Progress Administration (WPA), where he helped construct the…

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February 1, 2018

Industry / Object Histories / Clothing, Apparel & Fashion / Hamburg / Everyday Life / Marathon County / Manufacturing & Trade / 1918-1945 / Region 4 - Center / Fromm Fox Fur Coat

OBJECT HISTORY: Fromm Fox Fur Coat

This coat was made from the fur of foxes raised on the Fromm Fur Farm in Hamburg, Wisconsin. The jacket is covered in light-silver fox fur and lined with a taupe fabric. Straps allow the coat to also be worn as a cape. In the early decades of the 20th century, it was fashionable to use…

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December 9, 2017

Superior / Industry / Maritime Industry / Related Stories / 1877-1900 / Douglas County / 1900-1918 / Manufacturing & Trade / 1918-1945 / Region 1 - North West / Transportation & Tourism / The SS Meteor

Great Lakes Shipping and the SS Meteor

The SS Meteor sailed the lakes longer than most ships of her day, and in her many reincarnations she offers a portrait of how some of the industries on the Great Lakes changed – and what those changes meant for Wisconsin. Launched in 1896,…

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October 1, 2017

Oconto / Agriculture / Industry / Ethnicity & Identity / Related Stories / Global Connections / Manufacturing & Trade / Oconto County / 1918-1945 / Region 2 - North East / 1945-1965 / 1965-1987 / Migrant Worker's Cabin

Migrant Workers and the Bond Pickle Company

The Bond Pickle Company of Oconto, Wisconsin was founded in 1915 by five brothers. The Bond brothers quickly developed the firm, by 1917 acquiring 10 “salting stations” where the cucumbers were received from local farmers and a processing factory on West Main Street in…

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September 1, 2017

Agriculture / Industry / Food & Cooking / Related Stories / Door County / Ethnicity & Identity / Global Connections / Manufacturing & Trade / 1918-1945 / Nature & Environment / 1945-1965 / Politics & Government / Region 5 - Center East / Transportation & Tourism / Cherryland T-Shirt

Migrant Labor and Door County Cherries

Early Door County cherry orchards relied heavily on local workers, and all members of the family that owned a cherry orchard were expected to contribute. From the planting process, spraying of fungicides, pruning, and finally cherry picking, each cherry tree required a…

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July 1, 2017

Agriculture / Broad History / Industry / Related Stories / Door County / 1848-1877 / 1877-1900 / Manufacturing & Trade / 1900-1918 / 1918-1945 / Nature & Environment / 1945-1965 / Transportation & Tourism / Region 5 - Center East / Cherryland T-Shirt

The Cherry Industry in Door County

While early European immigrants in Door County survived by subsistence farming, efforts in later years to grow cash crops proved challenging, due in large part to the area’s rocky landscape. Despite little success with traditional crops, Door County residents continued to look…

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July 1, 2017