Iconographic Collections:
Geographic Place File
This article originally appeared in Exchange,
a newsletter published by the the Wisconsin
Historical Society. (Volume
34, Number 1, 1992) It is the 15th in a series of articles titled Researching
Community History. The series highlights
the Society's resources available to local
historians. It was written by Tom McKay,
retired local history coordinator for the
Wisconsin Historical Society.
The iconographic collection of the Wisconsin Historical Society
contains a huge store of photographs and images documenting
both the history of Wisconsin and historical events
beyond its borders that influenced life within the
state. To local history researchers, this rich source
of visual information can represent a large and daunting
challenge. Local historians may find an easy starting
point for use of the iconographic collection by investigating
its geographic place file.
The geographic place file contains approximately 12,000 Wisconsin images organized by community. The communities range from the city of Milwaukee to unincorporated hamlets such as Elton in Langlade County. All images appear under the name of the community. The file has no entries by county or other geographical name. The file holds a small number of non-Wisconsin images. The communities run in alphabetical sequence with Ableman as the first Wisconsin community and Yuba as the last. The images cover a broad range of Wisconsin history, but the majority fall in the years between 1880 and 1950.
Most of the images in the geographic place file represent Wisconsin's
major cities. Milwaukee and Madison lead in number
of entries with a total of eight file drawers of photographs
and images. Throughout the files, images include a
mixture of overall views, street scenes, community landmarks, and
some special events. The section of the file for the city of Green
Bay provides interesting examples of this mixture. The file contains
approximately 250 views of Green Bay. A heavy representation comes
from photographs of the Fox River showing docks, boats, paper mills
and other industrial features. However, a local history researcher
may find surprising additional information in such images. A photograph
taken in 1889 of a southwest view of the Fox River holds in the foreground
excellent documentation of family homes and their backyards. Local
landmarks among the Green Bay pictures include St. Vincent's Hospital
in 1910, the Green Bay House hotel in 1925, and a rustic area called
Dutchman's Creek in 1925. The unveiling of a Daughters of the American
Revolution tablet honoring Eleazer Williams is one of the Green Bay
events found in the file.
Many smaller villages and communities appear in the geographical
place file. Elroy has 15 photographs in the file including
an excellent view of downtown in 1922 with a brick
paved road, the high school in 1905, and the interior
of St. Patrick's Church in 1911. Following Elroy comes a single image
of the community of Elton. However, it is a detailed photograph of
the Chicago Northwestern depot showing the water tank, a caboose on
a siding, and railroad construction materials. Patch Grove also appears
with only one photograph but again this early view of its main street
is a gem. The file contains 22 photographs of Jefferson, and one shows
a chilling scene of the Rock River and a mill race
in winter. The dam and powerhouse at St. Croix Falls appear in the
file as well as a crisp stereoscopic view of the office of the Polk
County Press in
that community. Three very clear photographs among
the images of Orfordville show the dedication ceremonies
for the Skavlem monument in honor of Norwegian immigrants.
Local history researchers using the geographic place file should
remember that the huge iconographic collection often
holds other images from their communities. All entries
in the geographic place file include negative numbers.
Working with Archives reference
staff, these negative numbers may lead to other photographs
of equal or greater value to a researcher. The reference
staff can also respond to specific written inquiries for
assistance. The geographic place file can be a beginning
point for local historians in the Wisconsin Historical
Society iconographic collection. Future articles will
explore other ways to use this rich source of visual
history.
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