Our History in Objects
WISCONSIN 101
Wisconsin 101 is a statewide, collaborative, public history project that uses objects as the centerpieces of local histories from all around our state.
EXPLORE THE HISTORY OF WISCONSIN
Use the slider below to view important events in Wisconsin's history.
Wisconsin 101 Exhibits
The Lumber Industry in Northern Wisconsin
The Lumber Industry in Northern Wisconsin
Prior to the Civil War, most of northern Wisconsin was inhabited by the Menominee and Ojibwe Indians, and transient fur traders of European origin. Demand for wood in Chicago and Milwaukee after the Civil War brought lumbermen to the north woods.
Indigenous Peoples
Indigenous Peoples
The state of Wisconsin occupies a modern political boundary, but for millenia prior peoples and nations occupied this space. This exhibition feature essays and objects about indigenous peoples, their encounter with colonizers and settlers, and their modern history.
Wisconsin Waters
Wisconsin Waters
Situated along two of the Great Lakes with more than 12,000 rivers and 15,000 lakes, Wisconsin is home to industries and pastimes built up around these natural resources. This exhibition explores Wisconsin’s shipping history and the dangers therein, its water sources as resources and energy source, and its history of pastimes and tourism on ship and shore.