Wisconsin 101

UW-Eau Claire & The Council Oak Tree

Oak Trees have been regarded for centuries as a symbol of strength, moral, and knowledge, and throughout history have been represented in different mythologies to show these attributes. And for the original Council Oak Tree, grown in Eau Claire, it also held…

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October 5, 2021

Neenah Foundry Standard Design. Courtesy of Keith Kaziak, 2020.

From the Fox River Valley to the Windy City: The Roaring Twenties and the Neenah Foundry

The 1920s began with significant economic prosperity and an emphasis on social and culturally rich energy with an influx of jazz, Art-Deco, telephones, film, and radio in cities like Chicago, IL. With the City of Chicago flourishing, The Neenah Foundry of the…

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September 29, 2021

Art, Sport & Entertainment / Food & Cooking / Marathon / Related Stories / Marathon County / Manufacturing & Trade / Region 2 - North East / 1920-1940 / Marathon Brewing Company "Superfine" Beer Bottle

Marathon City Brewing and the Wee Willy Basketball Team

The Marathon City Brewery sponsored local sports teams like the Wee Willy basketball team, originally known as the Catholic Youth Organization Team, which organized in 1936. Though the team temporarily disbanded during World War II, in the mid-1940s, young men from the…

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September 14, 2021

Read more about the article The Heileman Family: A German Immigration Story

John Gund Brewing Company postcard, c. 1911, courtesy of the Wisconsin Historical Society, Image 35952.

La Crosse / Ethnicity & Identity / Related Stories / Global Connections / 1840-1860 / Manufacturing & Trade / La Crosse County / 1860-1880 / 1880-1900 / 1900-1920 / 1920-1940 / Region 3 - Center West / 1940-1960 / 1960-1980 / 1980-2000 / King Gambrinus Statues of LaCrosse

The Heileman Family: A German Immigration Story

The G. Heileman Brewing Company is often remembered by historians as the vision of the two ambitious men who founded the brewery in La Crosse, Wisconsin. At the height of its popularity in 1983, Heileman’s was the fourth largest brewery in the…

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August 17, 2021

La Crosse / Art, Sport & Entertainment / Object Histories / Global Connections / La Crosse County / Manufacturing & Trade / Region 3 - Center West / 1920-1940 / King Gambrinus Statues of LaCrosse

OBJECT HISTORY: King Gambrinus Statues of La Crosse

The King Gambrinus statue located in La Crosse, Wisconsin depicts the king of beer and brewing.[1] The origins of the statue, specifically its sculptor and construction date, are unknown. Weighing in at approximately 2,000 pounds, this concrete statue is 15 feet tall.…

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August 17, 2021

Education / Dane County / Madison / Curators' Favorites / Manufacturing & Trade / 1920-1940 / Region 7 - South Center

OBJECT HISTORY: Jar of Marbles

Today, the Wisconsin State Fair is full of attractions, rides, and great food, but in its early years, it was a place for farmers to gather and share ideas about the agricultural industry. It wasn’t until the early 1900s that the state…

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October 6, 2020