http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/odd/ http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/images/common/logo.gif http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/odd/ The Wisconsin Historical Society presents Odd Wisconsin, to amuse, surprise, perplex, disgust, astonish, and otherwise engage you with the past. Michael Edmonds (mailto:miedmonds@whs.wisc.edu) Wisconsin Historical Society <webmaster@wisconsinhistory.org> en-us 2010-01-31T10:48:00-06:00 http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/odd/archives/004082.asp Madison architect Herb DeLevie grew up in Stadtskanaal, Holland, where his father ran a successful business. Their large household was home to a number of pets, including an enormous black cat that adopted them. "Before the war," DeLevie recalled, "before my father went into hiding, we had a great big black cat that appeared one day... This cat was a... 4082@http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/odd/ Animals 2010-01-31T10:48:00-06:00 Michael Edmonds http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/odd/archives/004075.asp 4075@http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/odd/ Odd Lives 2010-01-23T17:31:24-06:00 Michael Edmonds http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/odd/archives/001972.asp Jan. 24th is the birthday of Coles Bashford, the leading actor in a bizarre political drama of the 1850s. Democrats had controlled the state for years, so when incumbent Democrat William Barstow ran for re-election as governor in 1855, he expected an easy ride. The only serious opposition came from Coles Bashford of Oshkosh. He was the candidate of a... 1972@http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/odd/ Odd Lives 2010-01-18T01:45:09-06:00 Michael Edmonds http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/odd/archives/001967.asp This weekend we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day to commemorate his life-long struggle to secure "liberty and justice for all" in segregated America. Our own state was no exception to the rule of racial injustice, but the process by which civil rights were guaranted to all Wisconsin children is perhaps unique. When the residents of Wisconsin decided they were... 1967@http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/odd/ Curiosities 2010-01-14T03:54:28-06:00 Michael Edmonds http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/odd/archives/004065.asp Thomas Bowen (1808-1883) settled on the border of Wisconsin and Illinois, just south of Monroe, in 1836. He had such a prosperous farm that five years later he raised 4,000 bushels of corn. This flooded the market, and corn became almost worthless, bringing only 10 cents a bushel. In frustration Bowen swore that he wouldn't take less than 25 cents... 4065@http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/odd/ Curiosities 2010-01-04T14:38:52-06:00 Michael Edmonds http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/odd/archives/004058.asp As 2009 comes to its close, Odd Wisconsin's staff are hunkering down far from the office on the annual mid-winter break. It's time for reruns. Because we know there are loyal readers who can't do without a weekly dose of historical distraction, we offer this selection of strange stories from the previous 12 months: So Cold Their Noses Fell Off... 4058@http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/odd/ 2009-12-28T02:10:25-06:00 Michael Edmonds http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/odd/archives/002552.asp We may never know exactly what Americans understood by the refrain "and a partridge in a pear tree" since the word partridge was used for an amazingly wide variety of birds in America. Here in Wisconsin it was haphazardly applied to any small game bird, but especially to the spruce grouse and the ruffed grouse. Two unusual gifts of partridges... 2552@http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/odd/ Animals 2009-12-21T01:33:10-06:00 Michael Edmonds http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/odd/archives/001015.asp As you celebrate your family's traditions this week, consider how the people who lived here before you celebrated theirs. This memoir of pioneer Green Bay recalls how bear, sturgeon, and venision were on the dining room table for Christmas dinner in 1836, with the faces of Indians dressed in their finery pressed to the window. While staid Yankees from New... 1015@http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/odd/ Curiosities 2009-12-17T08:14:50-06:00 Michael Edmonds http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/odd/archives/004052.asp By the summer of 1827, Ho-Chunk leaders had become alarmed at the number of white squatters on their lands. An 1825 treaty had drawn boundaries to keep settlers and native peoples apart, but for two years lead miners had ignored it and streamed into territory reserved for the tribe. The Commissioner of Indian Affairs estimated that by 1827 2,000 whites... 4052@http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/odd/ Children 2009-12-14T17:30:52-06:00 Michael Edmonds http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/odd/archives/004045.asp Each winter people across the state zip-up their Ski-doo jackets, strap on their helmets, and rev up for a season of snowmobiling. We wonder how many of them know that the snowmobile was invented here in Wisconsin in 1924. Slowed by an injured foot, Carl Eliason sought an alternative way to get around during the harsh winters up north.... 4045@http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/odd/ Curiosities 2009-12-10T10:08:34-06:00 Michael Edmonds http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/odd/archives/004042.asp Long before IVF and fertility drugs, a Watertown woman gave birth to a naturally-conceived set of quintuplets. They are believed to be the first set of quintuplets born in the U.S. Edna Kanouse, described as obese by one newspaper, reportedly had no idea she was pregnant with five babies. When she went into labor on February 13, 1875, her husband... 4042@http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/odd/ Curiosities 2009-11-30T16:03:54-06:00 Michael Edmonds http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/odd/archives/004038.asp The first Thanksgiving in Madison took place in 1838 at the log cabin of Eben and Rosaline Peck. They had located their home overlooking Lake Monona in the spring of 1837 and used it as a boarding house for construction workers erecting the Capitol. That took more than a year, but legislators were on hand in the fall of 1838... 4038@http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/odd/ Curiosities 2009-11-25T09:01:02-06:00 Michael Edmonds http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/odd/archives/004032.asp Considered ugly by some and revered by others, sturgeon boast a rich history in Wisconsin. After having survived whatever killed the dinosaurs, they evolved into a robust fish that can enjoy a lifespan of more than a century. In 1932, one sturgeon proved its lasting power in a particularly fragrant way. For years, state law required that confiscated fish and... 4032@http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/odd/ Animals 2009-11-12T11:49:04-06:00 Michael Edmonds http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/odd/archives/001004.asp The New York Times reported this week on a Stoddard, Wis., couple who build homes not from dead lumber but from living trees. Apparently their methods have many advantages, including not only beauty but also unexpected structural strength and minimized ecological impacts. Their story reminded us of John Krusback, president of the Embarass State Bank, who had a similar idea... 1004@http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/odd/ Bizarre Events 2009-11-05T01:40:04-06:00 Michael Edmonds http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/odd/archives/004027.asp Today's visit by President Obama to Wright Middle School in Madison swamped our Library with calls about previous visits by incumbent chief executives. The first of those occurred on Sept. 10, 1878, when Rutherford B. Hayes spent the day in our capital city. Unlike Obama, Hayes was not an especially noteworthy president. In 1876 he had actually lost the popular... 4027@http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/odd/ 2009-11-03T15:38:51-06:00 Michael Edmonds