Wisconsin 101

Read more about the article The Lumber Industry in Northern Wisconsin

Lumber rafts on the Wisconsin River near the Wisconsin Dells, c. 1886. Photograph by H.H. Bennett, courtesy of the Wisconsin Historical Society, Image ID 6314.

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. Initially,…

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February 1, 2016

Read more about the article The Vulcan Corporation

Inspecting pins coming off the Vulcan assembly line, 1954. Photograph courtesy of the Langlade County Historical Society.

Langlade County / Antigo / Vulcan Bowling Pin / Region 2 - North East / Related Stories / Manufacturing & Trade / Clothing & Fashion / Art, Sport & Entertainment / 1900-1920 / Nature & Environment / 1920-1940 / 1940-1960 / 1960-1980 / 1980-2000

The Vulcan Corporation

The Vulcan Corporation was founded in 1909 in Ohio as a manufacturer of wooden shoe lasts. The business really took off once they developed a new shoe last turning lathe. In 1919, Vulcan started a plant in Crandon, Wisconsin, which made “rough-turned”—or unfinished—lasts.…

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February 1, 2016

Read more about the article An Immigrant Family in Rural Wisconsin

European immigrants boarding a steamer to the United States. Harper’s Weekly, November 7, 1874.

Langlade County / Antigo / 2000-2020 / CCC Pillow Sham / Related Stories / Home Furnishings / Politics, Society & Government / Clothing & Fashion / 1880-1900 / 1900-1920 / 1920-1940 / 1940-1960 / Ethnicity & Identity / 1960-1980 / 1980-2000 / Global Connections

An Immigrant Family in Rural Wisconsin

Rose Mary Drab was born in southeastern Langlade County on April 23 of 1913. Her family had settled there the year before on a small farm south of Antigo. Originally named Drabowski, Rose Mary’s parents left Hungary for Chicago a few years…

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October 1, 2015

Read more about the article Daily Life in the Civilian Conservation Corps

Civilian Conservation Corps Camp 657 temporary barracks at Summit Lake, WI, c. 1933. Photograph courtesy of the Langlade County Historical Society.

Langlade County / Region 2 - North East / CCC Pillow Sham / Related Stories / Elcho / Home Furnishings / Politics, Society & Government / Nature & Environment / 1920-1940 / Education

Daily Life in the Civilian Conservation Corps

The young men who lived and worked at Camp 657 were typical of Civilian Conservation Corps enrollees throughout the country during the 1930s. The first enrollees were between 18 and 25 years of age, were unmarried and physically fit, and were willing to allot most of their earnings to their families. In 1937, with the CCC’s popularity growing, Congress expanded the age range to 17 to 28 and later extended enrollment to World War I veterans.

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October 1, 2015

Read more about the article History of Soda Bottles

Saratoga soda bottle (Image courtesy of the Illinois Glass Company Catalog).

Cassel Soda Bottle / Related Stories / 1800-1820 / Manufacturing & Trade / Food & Cooking

History of Soda Bottles

In the 1800s, semi-automatic machines began making glass bottles. The first soda bottles were made in 1806 and resembled ale and spirits bottles. These bottles had short, square bottoms and a small neck.The next style of soda bottles, called Saratoga bottles, looked…

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October 1, 2014

Read more about the article Soda’s Role in Prohibition

Milwaukee Journal article regarding Prohibition (Image courtesy of the Wisconsin Historical Society).

Cassel Soda Bottle / Related Stories / Manufacturing & Trade / Food & Cooking / Politics, Society & Government / 1920-1940

Soda’s Role in Prohibition

When the prohibition of alcohol began in 1920, the law brought huge social and economic effects to Wisconsin. Visitors enjoyed coming to Milwaukee because of the many brewery-related social events and institutions, including the Whitefish Bay Pabst Resort. Against the wishes of Milwaukee…

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October 1, 2014