Wisconsin 101

Read more about the article When Lake Koshkonong was a Marsh

An Ojibwe man and woman harvesting wild rice in 1966 near Ashland, WI. Image courtesy of the Wisconsin Historical Society, image ID 133699.

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.

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September 30, 2018

Read more about the article What is a Point Blanket Coat?

In 1818 Anna Maria von Phul painted this picture of a Native American woman wearing a white wool trade blanket. Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Industry / Fur Trade / Broad History / Wausau / Clothing, Apparel & Fashion / Related Stories / Everyday Life / Global Connections / Marathon County / Manufacturing & Trade / Region 4 - Center / A Hudson's Bay Company Point Blanket Coat

What is a Point Blanket Coat?

The practice of converting Hudson’s Bay Company blankets into coats began years before the company began mass-manufacturing point blanket coats in the twentieth century. During the fur trade, Native Americans hunters traded beaver pelts for wool point blankets. Point blankets were waterproof…

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June 7, 2018

Industry / Military History / Broad History / Related Stories / Wolf River / Langlade County / Manufacturing & Trade / Nature & Environment / Region 2 - North East / Politics & Government / Transportation & Tourism / Mepps Fishing Lure

The Wolf River

Todd Sheldon first discovered the virtues of the Mepps Aglia spinner and later realized improvements afforded by a tuft of squirrel tail while fishing at one of his favorite spots: the Wolf River. Today the Wolf continues to be a destination for sports…

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May 24, 2018

Military History / Broad History / Related Stories / Politics & Government / Old Abe, the Live War Eagle

Old Abe’s Visual Legacy

Old Abe began his career as a real, live eagle, serving as a mascot during the Civil War. In the decades that followed, the Grand Army of the Republic brought the bird on tours around the country. In the many years since Old Abe’s…

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May 24, 2018

Broad History / Pre-1787 / Related Stories / 1787-1848 / 1848-1877 / Science & Medicine / Cupping Kit

What is Cupping?

Until the late nineteenth century, cupping was widely used for the treatment of inflammation and deep-seated pain believed to be due to an imbalance of the humors. A physician or barber surgeon would begin cupping by selecting the appropriate cup based on the amount…

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May 3, 2018

Read more about the article The Cherry Industry in Door County

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

Broad History / Industry / Agriculture / 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