Wisconsin 101

OBJECT HISTORY: CCC Pillow Sham

Created in 1933, this commemorative pillow sham was just one of a number of textiles created by second-generation Hungarian immigrant Rose Mary Drab to honor her brother Edward’s service in the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). Rose Mary appliquéd the black cotton sateen sham with a small cotton tent, a blue eagle and two small stars, and hills, pine…

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September 9, 2020

A Hudson's Bay Company Point Blanket Coat / Marathon County / Region 2 - North East / Wausau / Manufacturing & Trade / Clothing & Fashion / Object Histories / 1920-1940

OBJECT HISTORY: A Hudson’s Bay Company Point Blanket Coat

This wool coat was constructed from a ‘point blanket’ made by the Hudson’s Bay Company, likely during the early 1920s. A Wausau businessman wore it at one of the town’s early Winter Frolics, an annual winter sports festival that attracted tourists from as far as Chicago. The businessman belonged to a group of local business…

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September 9, 2020

Read more about the article OBJECT HISTORY: Vulcan Bowling Pin

Vulcan Bowling Pin. Photo credited to Joe Hermolin.

Langlade County / Antigo / Vulcan Bowling Pin / Region 2 - North East / Manufacturing & Trade / Art, Sport & Entertainment / Object Histories / 1940-1960 / Global Connections

OBJECT HISTORY: Vulcan Bowling Pin

This bowling pin was produced by the Vulcan Corporation in Antigo, Wisconsin, sometime in the late 1950s after Vulcan had introduced its patented “Nyl-Tuf Supreme” plastic coating (as indicated by the pin’s red label).

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September 8, 2020

Read more about the article Missionaries and Land Rights: The Story of Erik Morstad and the Potawatomi

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

Potawatomi Beaded 'Soldier Coat' / Region 2 - North East / Related Stories / Forest County / Politics, Society & Government / 1880-1900 / 1900-1920 / Nature & Environment / Ethnicity & Identity / Religion

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

Oconto County / Region 2 - North East / Pulaski / Polka Rhythms Bandstand / Related Stories / Art, Sport & Entertainment / 1960-1980 / Ethnicity & Identity / Curators' Favorites

Pulaski – A Polka Town

Pulaski, like some Wisconsin communities, possesses a disproportionate number of polka bands, and some have boasted that the town of 3000 has more bands per capita than even Nashville. The strongly Polish community located just outside of Green Bay is still a thriving locale for the polka tradition.

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May 18, 2020

Oconto County / 2000-2020 / Region 2 - North East / Pulaski / Polka Rhythms Bandstand / Art, Sport & Entertainment / Object Histories / 1980-2000

OBJECT HISTORY: Polka Rhythms Bandstand

This bandstand, used by Chad Przybylski and his band the Polka Rhythms, represents Wisconsin's polka tradition.

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May 10, 2019