Wisconsin 101

Children in Door Country line up to visit the bookmobile. Image courtesy of the Egg Harbor Historical Society.

Creating the Door County Bookmobile

Door County Library Bookmobile service began in 1950 through a Wisconsin Free Library Commission experiment called the Door-Kewaunee Regional Library Demonstration. The Demonstration was developed to explore the possibilities of providing library service to remote areas of the state. This was during a nationwide movement to…

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November 1, 2017

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

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 / Oconto / Ethnicity & Identity / Related Stories / Global Connections / Migrant Worker's Cabin / Manufacturing & Trade / Oconto County / Politics & Government / Region 2 - North East / Society & Religion / 1945-1965 / 1965-1987

Wisconsin’s Migrant Housing Laws

Before World War II, most of the migrant workers in Wisconsin’s pickle fields were single young men, and pickle companies provided housing for workers in large dormitories. After World War II, however, farmers began to hire more families to harvest pickles in…

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September 1, 2017

Oliver, Sheldon, and Glen Fardig help in the Fardig Orchard in Ephraim, WI, c. 1930. Photograph courtesy of the Ephraim Historical Foundation.

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

Image courtesy of the Wisconsin Historical Society. Image ID: 48771.

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

Industry / Agriculture / Related Stories / Door County / Manufacturing & Trade / 1918-1945 / 1945-1965 / Region 5 - Center East / Transportation & Tourism / Cherryland T-Shirt

Cherryland Tourism

The beginnings of Door County tourism preceded the cherry industry boom by several decades. The natural beauty and cool temperatures made the area an attractive destination for urbanites in search of a respite from the summer heat. As transportation improved, visitors from…

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July 1, 2017