Megan Schaefer is part of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire’s class of 2022 (English Critical Studies and Political Science double major, History minor). In her free time, she enjoys playing the saxophone and the piano.
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OBJECT HISTORY: Marathon Brewing Company "Superfine" Beer bottle
The “Superfine” beer bottle is from the 1940/1950s from the Marathon City Brewing Company. Superfine was one of the many labels produced by Marathon City Brewery over eight decades from 1881 to 1966, featuring names such as Tannenbaum, Marathon Holiday, Marathon Bock, and Little Willy.
The Marathon Brewery's Chain of Calamities
In the early 1880s, Franz Sindermann, who was trained as a brewer in Germany, formed a brewery in Marathon, Wisconsin with his brother, August, along with a third partner, Charles Klein. The brewery got off to a good start, producing 300 barrels in its first year, but a series of misfortunes led to them closing their doors in less than 100 years.
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 area approached the brewery asking them to sponsor the team and buy their uniforms and equipment.