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Wisconsin Magazine of History
About the Magazine
The Wisconsin Magazine of History is a primary vehicle connecting readers to the history of our state and region. Since 1917, WMH has been the flagship publication of the Society and today remains one of the most valued benefits of membership.
While our orientation is to the past, the magazine is relevant to today and to the life of our state, region, and nation. Our goal is to share engaging, well-researched stories of our past with everyone who opens our pages, from everyday readers to history professionals. From bite-size departments to in-depth feature articles, the magazine spans a wide rage of topics and eras, all presented in a lavish design. The result is a rich mix of content that helps readers discover connections to their own heritage and interests while inviting them to explore new stories and perspectives.
Keep searching backward, so we can look "Forward!"
Recent Issues
View WMH ArchivesVol. 109, No. 4
Summer 2026
In This Issue: Celebrate America's 250th and Old World Wisconsin's 50th! A former curator reflects on her years at Old World; a soldier's 1776 diary reveals life behind the lines; a powder horn proclaims "Liberty or Death"; and Civil War envelopes revive the spirit of the American Revolution.
Vol. 109, No. 3
Spring 2026
In This Issue: A dedicated team finishes the fifty-year project to document the history of the US Constitution's ratification; State Senator Tiny Krueger beats stigma to become the respected Voice of the North; and a World War II Army nurse is recognized for heroism.
Vol. 109, No. 2
Winter 2025
In This Issue: A Ho-Chunk Elder and his son team up to preserve ancient mounds; a scholar questions archeologist Charles Brown's legacy; and environmentalist Calvin De Witt remembers the battle to preserve the wetlands of Dunn County.
Vol. 109, No. 1
Fall 2025
In This Issue: Three men from Vernon County join the famed Iron Brigade; an archbishop's murder in New York reverberates through Wisconsin's Armenian community; and Ojibwe football great Joe Guyon transfers from Carlisle to Keewatin Academy to finish his high school education.
Vol. 108, No. 4
Summer 2025
In This Issue: The Wizard of Oz comes to Wisconsin; Society archaeologists find traces of Wisconsin's pier communities along Lake Michigan; the state changes its approach to handling algae blooms; and a long-serving woman lighthouse keeper puts out her light.
Want to Receive WMH?
The Wisconsin Magazine of History is a benefit of membership to the Wisconsin Historical Society.
All membership levels include
- Free admission to our 12 historic sites and museums
- A subscription to the Wisconsin Magazine of History
- 10% discount on merchandise and ticketed events
- And much more!
Featured Article
Read Full Article
Earth Guardians
Wisconsin Magazine of History | Winter 2025
Ritchie and Casey Brown have more in common than their love of fishing. Every couple of weeks over the past two years, this father and son have met at various locations across southern Wisconsin to film Ritchie’s work preserving the mounds built by their ancestors. On some weekends, fellow Ho-Chunk citizens and other volunteers gather to assist in mound cleanup. On others, Ritchie uses light detection and ranging technology, or lidar, to locate mounds hidden by tree cover, as well as ground-penetrating radar to map the interior of mounds, which often extend as far below the ground as they do above. Their shared memoir, told in the Winter 2025 issue, reveals the story of their evolving partnership to protect their cultural heritage.
Casey is an Emmy Award–winning documentary filmmaker, and Ritchie, retired head of the Ho-Chunk Department of Natural Resources and a Ho-Chunk Distinguished Elder, has been studying mounds since the 1980s.
Hesseltine Winner Michail Takach
Wisconsin Magazine of History
Hesseltine Award
The William Best Hesseltine Award was established in 1965 in memory of historian and Wisconsin Historical Society past president William B. Hesseltine. The award honors the writer of the best article in the previous volume year. Our most recent winner, for 2024–2025, is Michail Takach, for the article, "Black Nite, Part 2: From Legend to Landmark."
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