Turning Points
in Wisconsin History
The Rise of Professional Sports
Throughout most of human history, men and women have worked too hard to enjoy much leisure time. Leisure was a privilege for the affluent or a reward for hard work rather than a right in itself. For most people, only the weekly Sabbath days, which already had specific purposes, broke up the incessant struggle for food, shelter and clothing. Indeed, the Sabbath day of rest was the cause of a persistent social conflict in nineteenth and early twentieth century Wisconsin: Yankee Protestants often tried to impose laws regulating the conduct of Catholic immigrants who enjoyed beer gardens, picnics, sports, and... more...
Original Documents and Other Primary Sources
 | Early baseball in 1860s Baraboo |
| A Beloit baseball team has a record-setting season in 1867 |
| The Black Hawk Country Club golf course nears completion in 1921 |
| Milwaukee gymnasts take the world by storm in 1880 |
| Programs and scorecards from the Kenosha Comets |
| Men in La Crosse form a Toboggan Club, 1885 |
| La Crosse's first bowling alley built in 1846 |
| Janesville baseball player becomes assistant secretary of war |
| "Ikey" Karel leads the Badgers to victory in 1894 |
| An 1897 bamboo bicycle |
 | "Red" Schoendienst's World Series bat, 1957 |
| An Aqualand water ski used for slalom skiing |
| Brett Favre jersey, 2005 |
| Baseball uniform of Wittenberg's own Bill Gates, 1922 |
| Memorabilia from the Milwaukee Braves, 1953-1965 |
 | Green Bay Packers game programs, 1939-1965 |
| Yearbooks and scorecards from the Racine Belles |
| An 1897 bicycling guide to Wisconsin |
| Pre-season media guides to the 1966-1967 Green Bay Packers teams |
| Green Bay Packers Yearbooks from the Lombardi Era |
| Bowling souvenir from the 1895 tournament season |
| A review of the 1878-79 curling season for Milwaukee and Portage |
| The Pneumatic, a progressive monthly paper for cyclists |
| The Oshkosh Base Ball Club from 1872-1913 |
| A celebration of the Lombardi Era, 1959-67 |
| Yearbooks from the Milwaukee Braves |
| The sports and games of Indians |
 | A women's curling team in Madison |
| Images of baseball in Wisconsin, 1900-1965 |
| Memorabilia from the Green Bay Packers, 1944-1968 |
| Photographs of Wisconsin bowlers |
| Photographs of Wisconsin golfers |
| Pictures relating to the Green Bay Packers |
| A performance by members of the Madison Turnverein, 1939 |
.
Divisions
General Information
Selected Programs
Services For
