Wisconsin Historical Society
Filter: Categories of Odd Wisconsin Stories
| Beyond Beer and Brats |
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| Explore the history of Labor Day celebrations in Wisconsin. |
| Civil War Battle Summary |
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| Discover the role that Wisconsin troops, including Menominee warriors and our only unit of Black soldiers, played in a dramatic Civil War battle. |
| A Disappointment that Created a Community |
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| Learn about the most successful Utopian community in Wisconsin, born of a failed doomsday prediction. |
| A Dishonest Democrat and a Radical Republican |
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| Learn about the election that was so close that Wisconsin briefly had two governors until one was exposed for tampering with ballots. |
| The Naughty City |
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| Discover Eau Claire's naughty past as a hub of prostitution for the lumbermen looking to support the world's oldest profession. |
| The Civil Right's Leader Shows his Support |
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| Discover the connection Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King had with the 1960s protests in Milwaukee. |
| Witnesses Tell Their Stories |
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| Learn about the attack on Pearl Harbor through these firsthand accounts from Wisconsinites who were there when it happened. |
| Evidence of First Feasts |
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| Take a look at some first hand accounts of the ways Native Americans of Wisconsin celebrated their own Thanksgiving ceremonies. |
| Defining Sundaes |
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| Was the first ice cream sundae made in Wisconsin or New York? Give this whimsical story a read and come to your own conclusion. |
| A Popular Speaker Sways Opinion |
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| Discover the connection between P.T. Barnum and the 1853 statewide referendum on liquor sales. |
| 3,000 Dam the Red River |
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| Read this wild story about a Wisconsin Dells lumberjack applying his knowledge of dams to help Union forces escape a Confederate attack. |
| A Good Mother, a Good Friend and a Good Woman |
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| Discover Juliet Severance, the free-thinking Whitewater physician who was involved with the anti-slavery movement, temperance and women's rights. |
| The Amusing History of the Scots Influence on Wisconsin |
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| Discover the rich history of the sport of curling in Wisconsin. |
| The Surprise and Aftermath of a Miraculous Birth |
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| Discover the sad story of the naturally-conceived set of quintuplets born in Watertown, believed to be the first set of quintuplets in the U.S. |
| The Power of the Pumpkin |
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| Read the story of the first Thanksgiving celebrated in Madison. |
| The Brief Stay of Rutherford B. Hayes |
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| Discover the visits US presidents have paid to Wisconsin |
| How Wisconsin Eliminated the Death Penalty |
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| Read about the final person to be executed in Wisconsin before the state prohibited the death penalty. |
| Celebrations of Memorial Day Throughout History |
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| Discover the history of Memorial Day celebrations in Wisconsin. |
| Madison's Oldest Resident |
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| Born into slavery, Hettie Pierce lived 115 years and was able to fully experience both life before and after emancipation. |
| From Slave to Healer |
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| Learn about Mary Ann Menard, Wisconsin's first doctor. |
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