Northeast Wisconsin's Historical Review
Current Issue: Summer/Fall 2012
James’ article casts light upon how the war influenced the area, and how the demographics of Northeast Wisconsin in turn influenced the war. When war broke out Green Bay and Northeast Wisconsin was still inhabited by people more loyal to the British than to the Americans. The area’s diverse populations of French fur traders and people of British, French and Scottish mix had been intermarrying with regional Indians for decades. Common interests united them and this loyalty and unity enabled the British to sweep the Americans from the region in 1812, and succesfully hold and defend it until the war ended in 1815. The fine article is enhanced by excellent images, including Keith Rocco’ painting Battle for Mackinac Island, part of which also adorns this issue’s cover.
2012 also brings us to the 67th anniversary of the end of World War Two. In an article titled “Heroes on the Home Front: Wrightstown During WWII,” Ruth Roebke-Berens and John Berens look at how the people of Wrightstown participated in the war efforts. By looking at different activities, such as rationing, farming, children’s activities and Civil Defense to name but a few, a compelling story of how one community gave to the national effort to win the war.
Two of this issue’s articles look at slices of the history of education at a local level. The first, Gina Sanders Larsen’s article “A Passion for Education,” focuses on Frank Joswick, the Village of Pulaski’s long-time high school principal and district superintendent. Joswick was very instrumental in transforming Pulaski’s schools in the post-WWII era through consolidating the many individual schools into a cohesive district that would become the 176-square mile Pulaski Community School District. Joswick applied the “Wisconsin Idea,” and stated that the doors of “the school should swing two ways – OUT so the students can go out into the community and learn from it, and IN for the people of the community to come into the schools to use its facilities to learn and help our students learn.” Joswick was a visionary and his story is well worth reading.
The second education piece looks at the earliest history of Ripon College, and how it was created. The article is an excerpt from the section of David Sakrison & Harry Heileman’s book, A Portrait of Ripon: Historic Photographs of Ripon, Wisconsin, that looks at the college’s early history. Chartered in 1850 as the Lyceum of Ripon, the college initially funded through a stock sale, with the offer of naming the school after the person who bought the most stock. William Brockway took the honor with a little more than $300 in stock, and the school was incorporated as Brockway College. Over it’s early years the college endured through financial woes and numerous directives and directions. The institution has endured to the present day. This article provides a glimpse of what beginning an institution entailed in the 19th century.
We are also featuring a photo-essay, “100 Years of Fashion in Oshkosh,” which looks at women’s fashions through a photo spread of an exhibit called “Bling,” that appeared at the Oshkosh Public Museum through this past March.
Lastly, in this issue you will find an article titled, “Dining at Wisconsin’s Historical Treasures,” by Jordan Tilkens and Nicolette Birkholz, that looks at some historic structures in Northeast Wisconsin that have been converted to eateries. Also included are two sidebars – one on the invention of the hamburger in Seymour in 1885, and the other on the birth of the Ice Cream Sundae in Two Rivers.
We hope you enjoy this issue!
by Ruth Roebke-Berens & John Berens
by Gina Sanders Larsen.
David Sakrison & Harry Heileman
Exhibit curated by Deb Daubert & Scott Jorgenson
by Jordan Tilkens & Nicolette Birkholz