Wisconsin 101

Map of Indian Settlements - including Potawatomi of Forest County, c. 1962. Image ID: 91434 Courtesy of the Wisconsin Historical Society.

Missionaries and Land Rights: The Story of Erik Morstad and the Potawatomi

Some histories are not as straightforward as others, especially when cultures collide. It may come as no surprise that stories about the interactions between Native Americans and white settlers are sometimes one-sided. We can partly attribute this to the European tradition of…

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September 8, 2020

Region 7 - South Center / Rock County / Beloit / Related Stories / Clair Mathews' Feed Grinder / Food & Cooking / Science & Medicine / Nature & Environment / 1920-1940 / 1940-1960

From Cow Feed to Korn Kurl

By the mid-1930s, the Flakall Corporation was trying to build up a customer base for its machine, a version of the feed grinder initially designed and built by Clair Mathews. But, as it turned out, the machine would end up being more useful for snack food manufacturers than farmers.

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September 23, 2019

Esterly Broadcast Seeder / Whitewater / Region 7 - South Center / Jefferson County / Manufacturing & Trade / 1860-1880 / Science & Medicine / Object Histories / Nature & Environment

OBJECT HISTORY: Esterly Broadcast Seeder

George Esterly, a southern Wisconsin farmer and inventor, helped revolutionize farming practices across the nation with the creation of the Broadcast Seeder.

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May 9, 2019

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.

Lake Koshkonong / Related Stories / A Duck Decoy / 1600-1800 / Region 7 - South Center / Jefferson County / Pre-1600 / 1800-1820 / 1820-1840 / 1840-1860 / Politics, Society & Government / Nature & Environment / Ethnicity & Identity

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

The Wausau Group: The Businessmen Who Revived Wausau’s Economy

Located on the Wisconsin River, Wausau developed as a logging town in the 1830s. George Stevens chose the site because of the waterfall that spanned the river, which provided power for sawmills used to turn the felled trees into lumber. The waterfall,…

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June 15, 2018

Mepps Fishing Lure / Region 2 - North East / Wolf River / Langlade County / Related Stories / Manufacturing & Trade / Art, Sport & Entertainment / Nature & Environment / 1960-1980 / Transportation & Tourism

Squirrel Tails Wanted? The Improved Mepps Lure

Driving through Antigo, visitors are often puzzled by a sign proclaiming “Squirrel Tails Wanted” advertised by Sheldons’ Inc., manufacturer of Mepps lures. Squirrel tail hair has unique properties ideal for lures. [1] Its addition to the Anglia has proven to be the…

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May 24, 2018