Wisconsin 101

Mepps Lures: The Antigo Connection

A chance encounter of an American G.I. in France after World War II with a local fisherman led to the development of a major industry in Antigo, Wisconsin and put Antigo on the sports fishing map. Frank Velek discovered a fishing lure…

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May 24, 2018

Langlade County / Wolf River / 2000-2020 / 2020-2040 / Region 2 - North East / Pre-1600 / 1600-1800 / Mepps Fishing Lure / Related Stories / 1800-1820 / Manufacturing & Trade / 1820-1840 / Politics, Society & Government / 1840-1860 / 1860-1880 / 1880-1900 / 1900-1920 / Nature & Environment / 1920-1940 / 1940-1960 / 1960-1980 / 1980-2000 / Transportation & Tourism

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

Brown County / Region 5 - Center East / 1600-1800 / Green Bay / Le Maire Sundial / Related Stories / Science & Medicine / Nature & Environment / Religion / Global Connections

French Cartography in the Great Lakes

French mariners and explorers using the Le Maire Sundial Compass depended on both their own specialized navigational expertise and maps produced by French cartographers. Many such maps were created based on explorer accounts of the navigable waterways between the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi…

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May 21, 2018

Great Lakes Shipping and the SS Meteor

The SS Meteor sailed the lakes longer than most ships of her day, and in her many reincarnations she offers a portrait of how some of the industries on the Great Lakes changed– and what those changes meant for Wisconsin. Launched in 1896, the then-named Frank…

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May 21, 2018

Door County / Kenosha County / Manitowoc County / Milwaukee County / Ozaukee County / Racine County / Sheboygan County / Port Washington / Lifesaving Medal / Milwaukee / Two Rivers / Manitowoc / Racine / Kenosha / Sheboygan / Region 5 - Center East / Region 8 - South East / Related Stories / Manufacturing & Trade / Politics, Society & Government / 1840-1860 / Nature & Environment / Transportation & Tourism

Early Lifesaving Stations in Wisconsin

A Slow Beginning As maritime commerce grew in the early 19th century, the loss of vessels and crews to shipwreck increased. In 1848, the federal government, through the United States Revenue Marine, established its first lifesaving stations along the New Jersey coast. The…

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May 21, 2018

Milwaukee County / Lifesaving Medal / Milwaukee / Region 8 - South East / Related Stories / Manufacturing & Trade / 1880-1900 / Nature & Environment / Transportation & Tourism

The Wreck of the Tanner

The Wrecked VesselThe Tanner was a barque, or three-masted ship, whose foremast was square-rigged and whose main-and mizzenmasts were fore-and-aft rigged. It measured 156.38 feet long by 31.75 feet in breadth. The ship was built in 1863 by the Milwaukee shipbuilding firm Ellsworth & Davidson and…

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May 21, 2018