History of the Museum: The Legacy of Leo and Bella Capser

Leo Capser on the old Mission Dock,
circa 1920. Elizabeth Abernathy
Hull Collection. WHi(H91)72.

Into Madeline Island's mix of historical pageantry, natural wonder, and pioneer tourism came two figures who would embrace preservation of the island's history as a personal mission — Leo and Bella Capser of St. Paul. Leo began summering on the island in 1903. Enchanted with its history and lore, just as generations of their predecessors had been, the Capsers decided to establish a museum. In 1955 the couple began organizing the project, scrounging labor and construction materials when they could, financing the venture themselves when they could not.

Island residents — both year-round inhabitants and summer cottagers — contributed to the effort. Lifelong resident and amateur archeologist Al Galazen contributed his extensive collection of artifacts and supervised construction. Portions of a surviving American Fur Company building were adjoined with an old barn, the former La Pointe town jail, and the Old Sailor's Home, which had been built as a memorial to a drowned seaman. Other island residents contributed relics documenting every chapter of the island's long and turbulent history. The Capsers opened Madeline Island Historical Museum on June 15, 1958, and a decade later deeded the property to the Wisconsin Historical Society as a historic site.

In 1991, an endowment established by the Capsers provided the means to add the new Capser Center to the original museum complex. This modern exhibit hall now houses changing exhibits on island history, a theater, and a museum shop, while the original museum features permanent exhibits from one of the richest historical collections in Wisconsin.