Wisconsin 101

Wisconsin’s Ancient History in the Kickapoo Valley

If you look closely, the landscapes around us tell stories about the past. Sometimes in the curve of a road, a line of trees, or stretch of prairie careful observers can find evidence of the people and animals that used to call…

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September 24, 2020

La Farge / Region 6 - South West / A Dam Tower in the Kickapoo Valley Reserve / Vernon County / Politics, Society & Government / Object Histories / Nature & Environment / 1960-1980 / Transportation & Tourism

OBJECT HISTORY: A Dam Tower in the Kickapoo Valley Reserve

This concrete obelisk stands near the Kickapoo River and is located a mile north of the village of La Farge. It rises nearly a hundred feet above the river valley floor. The tower was constructed more than forty years ago as part…

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September 9, 2020

Platteville / James D. Williams' Windlass / Region 6 - South West / Grant County / Manufacturing & Trade / 1860-1880 / 1880-1900 / 1900-1920 / Object Histories / Nature & Environment

OBJECT HISTORY: James D. Williams’ Windlass

This is a machine used to lower and raise miners and materials through mine shafts in the lead mining region around Platteville, Wisconsin. Made from wooden supports with a wooden barrel shaft and crank attached to a rope with a bucket, a…

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January 9, 2018

Ellenboro / Sterling Safety Bicycle / Region 6 - South West / Grant County / Manufacturing & Trade / Art, Sport & Entertainment / 1880-1900 / Object Histories / Transportation & Tourism

OBJECT HISTORY: The Crab Tree Special

In the 1890s, mass-produced safety bicycles sparked a bicycle craze across Wisconsin. However, despite the lowered costs associated with mass production, not everyone could afford this new luxury. Walter Atkinson of Ellenboro, Wisconsin, was not going to let a $100 price tag deter him from experiencing the liberating power of bicycle transportation. Tapping into the…

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September 10, 2017