The Mining Boom

The Mining Boom

THE STORY: As important as agriculture, logging and brewing were to the development of the Wisconsin we know and love, so too was mining. During the early 1800s, the mining boom was the driving force in Wisconsin’s economy. It also brought Wisconsin the nickname “Badgers,” referring to the way miners burrowed shelters into hillsides. In […]

Nelson Dewey

Nelson Dewey

THE STORY: Nelson Dewey, Wisconsin’s first governor, should have a statue in Southwest Wisconsin—and he does. He had a lot of political and business success throughout his life, and was known all around as a “friend of the poor” and for his generosity. Dewey was born and raised in New England and studied law at […]

Governor Dodge and the Wisconsin Territory

Governor Dodge and the Wisconsin Territory

THE STORY: Before there were craft breweries in every zip code, even before the wild bratwurst was domesticated, Wisconsin was a land of plenty—which is what lured the Chippewa, the Winnebago, and European voyageurs and fur traders. After a few armed misunderstandings with the French and the Indians, Wisconsin ended up as part of the […]