Odd Wisconsin Archives: Curiosities
Tornado season has begun. Click over to Ready Wisconsin to learn how to protect yourself (and see some amazing pictures and video). You can also follow Ready Wisconsin on Twitter for local severe weather alerts as they happen. Many local media outlets will send a text message to your phone when severe weather approaches. To sign up, look on their... :: Posted on April 18, 2012
On the evening of March 31, 1918, Prof. E.A. Schimler of Northland College was kidnapped by a mob of masked men. They took him to a lonely spot outside Ashland, stripped him naked, beat him, covered him in tar and feathers, and left him in the woods. Schimler limped back to his boarding house, where friends helped him clean himself... :: Posted on March 26, 2012
In his memoir Old Times on the Upper Mississippi, steamboat pilot George Merrick recalled some St. Patrick's Day hijinks in the river town of Prescott, Wis. They took place during the late 1850s, when hundreds of side-wheelers fueled commerce in the heart of the continent. Assistant Engineer Billy Hamilton of the 'Fanny Harris' Merrick described Billy Hamilton, the assistant engineer... :: Posted on March 15, 2012
During March the mainstream media usually pays lip service to the role of women in American history. This is the month when we hear about famous crusaders like Belle La Follette or selfless martyrs such as Cordelia Harvey. But what about obscure women? What challenges did they face, and what choices did they have to make? This month we'll tell... :: Posted on March 1, 2012
Valentine's Day is Tuesday, so you have time this weekend to pick up something special for your sweetheart. When you're all worn out from wandering the malls in pursuit of the perfect gift, click over to our gallery of historic valentines to see where this custom originated. Years ago, people didn't buy mass-produced cards from multinational corporations in chain stores.... :: Posted on February 9, 2012
When white settlers arrived in Wisconsin, they were intrigued by the ancient mounds that dotted the landscape. This sparked excitement about archaeology generally, and during the late 19th century the discovery of new "antiquities" fueled speculation about the state's ancient past. It also led to one memorable blunder in 1878 concerning a find at Hartford, in Washington Co. A resident... :: Posted on January 12, 2012
The Christmas of 1874 in Medford, Wisconsin, looked pretty dismal. The Panic of 1873 had spawned hard times rather like our own. Around the country, more than 18,000 businesses failed and unemployment reached 14%. Merchants up north in rural Medford were unable to obtain toys and treats to be stocked for Christmas. As winter locked down the town, shelves in... :: Posted on December 21, 2011
One would naturally think that our official state song, "On, Wisconsin!," was inspired by residents of the Badger state. But the "Battle Hymn of the Republic"? Who'd have known. Here's how it happened. Lincoln Inspects the Troops Early in the Civil War, the Sixth Wisconsin Infantry was stationed outside Washington, D.C., to protect the nation's capital. On Nov. 20, 1861,... :: Posted on November 30, 2011
Few holidays are as uniquely American as Thanksgiving. We unconsciously picture in our minds over-flowing tables, grammar school classrooms decorated with paper turkeys, and idealized Pilgrims and Indians feasting harmoniously at the birth of the nation. But most of this is made up. "... Yet by the Grace of God..." There are only two textual sources for the origin of... :: Posted on November 23, 2011
The Badgers meet Minnesota on Saturday in the latest incarnation of a football rivalry dating back more than a century. The first Madison game was a long time coming and long-remembered. Until 1894, the two teams had always played in Minnesota, and the Badgers had always lost. Gophers manager J.E. O'Brien repeatedly refused to play in Madison because he... :: Posted on November 11, 2011
We've all probably encountered someone who makes a career out of telling the same story over and over again. In the 1850s, a Prairie du Chien attorney named A.V. Blair made this mistake and was repaid with a practical joke that frightened him out of town. Pirates and Vigilantes It all started with a band of river pirates who... :: Posted on November 3, 2011
Zachary Taylor commanded Fort Crawford in Prairie du Chien from 1829 to 1837. His tenure there produced many stories, including this one about a unique way he had of punishing small offenses. That was a discipline that the men under him called "wooling." It consisted of Col. Taylor simply grabbing a man by both ears and shaking his head while... :: Posted on October 26, 2011
No, not television. Not radio. Not even the telephone. No, the real predecessor of the Web was the telegraph, invented in 1837 by Samuel F.B. Morse. Its value was proven on May 24, 1844, when he sent the question, "What hath God wrought?" from Washington to Baltimore. This miraculous technology was introduced in Wisconsin in 1848 when the Territorial Legislature,... :: Posted on October 14, 2011
Covered bridges evoke nostalgia for an idealized past, not just in Wisconsin but throughout the nation. They epitomize our longing for a romantic, Norman Rockwell vision of happier, healthier times. But as with all illusions, the truth is more complex. A covered bridge spanning a rural stream, for example, was the perfect place for criminals to ply their trade.... :: Posted on September 29, 2011
When the market for Wisconsin lumber exploded during the 1880s, many naive city boys flocked to logging camps in pursuit of wages. Spending their first winters in the remote wilderness, they were frightened by the tales of grizzled old veterans about the ferocious beasts that lurked in the depths of the forest. One such creature was the Sidehill Dodger.... :: Posted on August 4, 2011
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