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Historical Essay

Eau Claire's Bawdy Past

The Naughty City
Discover Eau Claire's naughty past as a hub of prostitution for the lumbermen looking to support the world's oldest profession.
Historical Essay

Martin Luther King and Wisconsin

The Civil Right's Leader Shows his Support
Discover the connection Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King had with the 1960s protests in Milwaukee.
Historical Essay

Pearl Harbor through Wisconsin Eyes

Witnesses Tell Their Stories
Learn about the attack on Pearl Harbor through these firsthand accounts from Wisconsinites who were there when it happened.
Historical Essay

Juliet Severance, Radical Victorian

A Good Mother, a Good Friend and a Good Woman
Discover Juliet Severance, the free-thinking Whitewater physician who was involved with the anti-slavery movement, temperance and women's rights.
Historical Essay

Madison's First Presidential Visit

The Brief Stay of Rutherford B. Hayes
Discover the visits US presidents have paid to Wisconsin
Historical Essay

Pierce, Hettie, 1829-1944

Madison's Oldest Resident
Born into slavery, Hettie Pierce lived 115 years and was able to fully experience both life before and after emancipation.
Historical Essay

The Budget Deficit of 1921

How a New Progressive Governor Repaired the Economy
Read about Governor John J. Blaine's plan to deal with the Budget Deficit of 1921.
Historical Essay

Ezra Pound's Wisconsin Roots

The Midwestern Heritage of One of the 20th Century's Greatest Poetic Innovators
Discover literary giant Ezra Pound's connection to the frontier wilds of Wisconsin.
Historical Essay

Tobacco Customs in Wisconsin History

From Sacred Calumets to Ashtrays
Discover the important role that tobacco and the Peace Pipe have played throughout Wisconsin's history.
Historical Essay

A Wisconsin Connection to Wounded Knee

The Story of Lost Bird
Discover this harrowing story that brings together a feminist pioneer and the infant her husband found in the aftermath of Wounded Knee.
Historical Essay

John Till and His Miracle Plaster

A Popular Swindler
Read about John Till and the miraculous "medical" plaster treatment that led to his arrest by the State Medical Board.
Historical Essay

Epidemic Anniversary

A History of Disease in Wisconsin
Read this informative collection of all the outbreaks and epidemics in Wisconsin's history.
Historical Essay

The Beginning of Gideons International

Where Exactly did it Start?
When and where did The Gideons International really begin? There are more answers then you would think. Give this a read and decide for yourself.
Historical Essay

English Tudor Logging Camp

How a Town was Rebuilt Better Than Ever
Discover how the small lumber town of Elcho, Wisconsin was transformed into an English village.
Historical Essay

Psychics and Mystics in 1850s Wisconsin

Spirits Lead a Woman to Fortune
Morris Pratt was a well known psychic medium whose legacy is his eponymous spiritualist institution in Whitewater, known locally as "Pratt's Folly."
Historical Essay

Mary Hayes-Chynoweth, Psychic Healer

An Ordinary Woman has an Extraordinary Encounter
The story of Mary Hayes-Chynoweth, one of Wisconsin's most famous mystics who also predicted the future on a number of occasions.
Historical Essay

Louise Williams

First Woman Notary Public
Discover the story of Wisconsin's first woman notary public Louise Williams who provided legal counsel for southern Wisconsin after the Civil War.
Historical Essay

Smallpox Epidemics in Wisconsin History

The Conflict of Modern and Traditional Medicine
Discover the history of smallpox in Wisconsin and the public's reaction against hospitalization
Historical Essay

Wisconsin's Indiana Jones?

A Real-life Adventurer From the Dairy State
Was Beloit's Roy Chapman Andrews the real life model for Indiana Jones?
Historical Essay

Milwaukee's Maverick Aviator

An Insubordinate General Educates his Superiors
Discover how Milwaukee's General William Mitchell was charged for insubordination when he warned the U.S. military of an impending new threat.

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