Traveling Tuesdsay: Wisconsin

Traveling Tuesday: Wisconsin

The 30th state to be admitted to the union, Wisconsin originated a territorial possession of the United States in 1783 after the Revolutionary War. Four years later it became part of the Northwest Territory, then Indiana Territory from 1800 to 1809, followed by Illinois Territory from 1809 to 1818, then Michigan Territory until 1836 when by an act of Congress it became Wisconsin Territory. Interestingly, the territory remained under British control until after the War of 1812.

Initially, a leader in fur trading, the area saw a shift to lead mining after it came under American control. The change brought an influx of immigrants from the US and Europe (with a large percentage of “expert miners” from Cornwall, England) in search of wealth. According to several sources, including the Wisconsin Historical Society, Wisconsin became known as the Badger State because many of the miners lived in tunnels they dug into the hillsides, like badger dens.

By 1829, more than 4,000 miners populated the state with fifty-two smelting works. A little more than a

decade later, the state was producing more than half of America’s lead, somewhere in the amount of 15-20 million pounds. Output began to decline around 1847, and news of the 1848 California gold rush sent the miners west.

As the mining industry declined, agriculture saw a surge with wheat being the primary crop. Soil depletion and insects prompted a change to cranberries and tobacco by some farmers, however, a large percentage turned to dairy farming which proved to be an excellent decision. By 1915, Wisconsin was the leading producer of dairy products in the United States. According to Wikipedia, the term “America’s Dairyland” appeared in newspapers as early as 1913.

A close second to Wisconsin’s dairy industry is brewing. The first brewery opened in 1835 by a man name John Philips. Highly successful he opened a second the following year. By 1860, over 200 breweries operated within the state, more than forty of them in Milwaukee. Most scholars feel this is a result of the number of German immigrants who arrived in the 1840s and 1850s and the demise of the Chicago breweries in the “Great Chicago Fire.”

Come back next Tuesday to learn how the Progressive Era impacted the state. Or did the state influence the era?

Photo Credits:

Mine: Pixaby/bocux

Barrels: Pixabay/Artur Gorecki

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Love and Chocolate

She just needs a job. He wants a career. Is there room in their hearts for love?

Ilsa Krause and her siblings are stunned to discover their father left massive debt behind upon his death. To help pay off their creditors and save the farm, she takes a job at Beck’s Chocolates, the company her father despised and refused to supply with milk. Then she discovers her boss is Ernst Webber, her high school love who unceremoniously dumped her via letter from college. Could life get any more difficult?

A freshly-minted university diploma in his hand, Ernst Webber lands his dream job at Beck’s Chocolates. His plans to work his way up the ladder don’t include romantic entanglements, then Ilsa Krause walks back into his life resurrecting feelings he thought long dead. However, her animosity makes it clear she has no interest in giving him a second chance. Can he get her to change her mind? Does he want to?

Purchase link: https://books2read.com/u/mdQerZ