August 2006 Highlights
Celebrate Swissconsin
It's not all about cheese — though without them, Wisconsin cheese making would be significantly different. Wisconsin's Swiss immigrants left an incredible legacy of traditions, foods and culture on the state's landscape, particularly in New Glarus. With its rolling hills...
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Posted August 30, 2006
Last Chance to See the Acrobats of Circus China
The acrobats of Circus China — Circus World Museum's most popular attraction this season — have drawn a lot of attention, including being featured on television and performing at the Wisconsin State Fair. But their summer sojourn in Wisconsin won't...
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Posted August 28, 2006
Kindergarten: 150 Years of First-Day Tears
It's back to school time! Thousands of Wisconsin children are headed to school this fall — some for the very first time. Kindergarten is a rite of passage for kids and their parents, a rite of passage that began 150...
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Posted August 25, 2006
It's That Time Again
Those back-to-school discounts by retailers signal that summer vacation is almost over and it's nearly time to hit the proverbial books. This is also a good time to review what the Wisconsin Historical Society can do for teachers, parents and...
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Posted August 23, 2006
The Wild, Wild West Returns to Wade House!
When showman William F. Cody brought his Buffalo Bill's Wild West and Congress of Rough Riders of the World to Sheboygan in 1896, little could he have imagined that — 110 years later — a troupe of Wild West reenactors...
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Posted August 21, 2006
The Tale of the Christmas Tree Ship
On a chilly November day in 1912, Phillip Bauswein penned a letter to his sister in Chicago. He wrote, "This will be my last letter. I have a beautiful blue spruce tree for your baby's grave. We are all on...
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Posted August 18, 2006
"New" Interview with Black Hawk
The original manuscript of a previously overlooked interview with the famous Sauk war chief Black Hawk has been published this summer in the Society's online collection, Turning Points in Wisconsin History. The interview was conducted in August of 1834, two...
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Posted August 16, 2006
All Aboard for Railroad Day at Stonefield
Railroad transit and travel played a key role in the settlement of Wisconsin, and on Saturday, August 19, Stonefield historic site will celebrate the state's railroading heritage during Railroad Day. Activities will center around Stonefield's 1890s-style railroad depot, which symbolizes...
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Posted August 14, 2006
Spreading Like Wildfire: Wisconsin's Forest Fires
It is shaping up to be another hot, dry summer in Wisconsin, creating challenges for farmers and threatening many areas with fire. Northern Wisconsin has received less than half its normal rainfall, and rain amounts have been below normal across...
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Posted August 11, 2006
Wisconsin Goes to the State Fair
Cream puffs, cows and cotton candy are just a few of things that make the Wisconsin State Fair such a memorable and anticipated summertime event. The 11-day extravaganza that attracts nearly a million people to State Fair Park in West...
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Posted August 9, 2006
H.H. Bennett Photos Document the Dells
An exhibit of photographs of the magnificent Wisconsin Dells taken between 1865 and the 1980s showcases more than a century of Wisconsin Dells history on the occasion of the tourism haven's sesquicentennial celebration. The exhibit, "150 Years of Kilbourn/Wisconsin Dells...
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Posted August 7, 2006
Charles W. Nash and the Nash Motor Company
Although Detroit is known today as the hub of the American auto industry, Wisconsin — the Milwaukee area in particular — has been home to more than 80 different makers of cars and trucks over the last 100 years. And...
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Posted August 4, 2006
Early Madison Firefighting Remembered
After two frightful downtown fires, Madison's first mayor, Jairus C. Fairchild, proclaimed in his 1856 inaugural address that the city needed to be better prepared to fight such blazes. Within months the city bought two hand-pumped fire engines as well...
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Posted August 2, 2006
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