The University of Wisconsin - Madison SAA-SC Thanks You!

The University of Wisconsin - Madison SAA-SC would like to thank all the participating repositories for their time and effort in helping us put together entries for this project.

We'd also like to extend a big thanks to our visitors for taking the time to stop by. We've had visits from as close as next door in Madison to as far away as Japan, Macao, and Kazakhstan!

We hope you've learned a bit more about archival institutions throughout Wisconsin - we certainly did. We also got to dabble with some Web 2.0 tools and got a hand at reaching new audiences. From our perspective, this project was a resounding success.

What did you think? Please feel free to leave feedback about what we've done and what you'd like to see in this blog in the future. Your comments can go under the "Comments" section of this post.

Again, thank you! We'll see you again next October for American Archives Month!

Image courtesy of Dr. Ciaran Trace.
Seated, left to right: Greg Kocken, Casey Coleman
Front row, left to right: Simone Munson, Christina Johnson
Second row, left to right: Lisa Muccigrosso, Rachel Pieper
Third row, left to right: Tyler Kennedy, Becky Julson, Sarah Mueller, Katie Scanlan
Fourth row, left to right: Dr. Ciaran Trace, Meredith Lowe, Heather Heckman, Anna Cianciara

History Center and Archives, Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center

29270 County Highway G
Ashland, Wisconsin 54806
(715) 685-2647
whsnorthwoods[at]wisconsinhistory.org
http://www.northerngreatlakescenter.org/ or
http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/libraryarchives/arcnet/histcenter.asp

Linda Mittlestadt, Archivist

The History Center and Archives (part of the Wisconsin Historical Society's Area Research Center Network) is located on the 2nd floor of the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center (NGLVC). The NGLVC is managed through a partnership of federal and state agencies, including U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Wisconsin Historical Society, and University of Wisconsin-Extension. The History Center and Archives provides research materials for visitors doing genealogical, legal, scholarly, and general research, and for those interested in the history of Wisconsin and the Lake Superior Region. The Center mostly houses manuscript collections, local government records, microfilmed newspapers, local history books, maps, and genealogical records, all of which are from the Lake Superior Region of Ashland, Bayfield, Forest, Iron, Oneida, Price, Sawyer, Vilas, and Washburn counties. College students and faculty, genealogists, local historians, and other researchers are encouraged to use the collections. The Center also provides technical assistance and advice to local historical societies regarding collections care, preservation, and storage.

Collections
This ARC holds over 77 collections of papers and records produced by private organizations and individuals. Examples of collections include the letters of early missionary Father Iraneus Frederic Baraga; watchbooks from the La Pointe lighthouse; reminiscence of Margaret Eastman Runkel recalling life at Lac du Flambeau government school for Indian children; papers of Nick Van Der Puy, outdoor guide from Eagle River and member of Citizens for Treaty Rights; records of the Wisconsin Colonization Company, a Sawyer County land company; records of Trees for Tomorrow, Inc.; records of Brown Brothers Lumber Company of Rhinelander; corporate records of the Penokee Veneer Company; historical records from Campo Fiesta, a girls camp near Boulder Junction; records of the Land O' Lakes Chamber of Commerce; papers of Alvin E. O'Konski, Republican Congressman from Wisconsin's 10th District known for anti-communist activities and stance against Viet Nam War; interview of Henry J. Wachmsuth, German immigrant, lumberyard worker and Mayor of Ashland; records of the Oulu Evangelical Lutheran Church; oral histories documenting the 50 year history of the Wisconsin Extension Homemakers Council; and several unpublished local histories on a variety of topics.

The History Center and Archives serves as the repository for historically important local government records from the nine county service region. There are almost 125 series of local/regional government public records including county board proceedings, circuit court case files, area newspapers on microfilm, Ashland City Directories, court and tax records, naturalization records, vital records, land records, and census records for each of the nine counties, as well as Native American census rolls for the Wisconsin Ojibwe Bands that are located in the Center’s region (Bad River, Red Cliff, Lac du Flambeau, and Lac Courte Oreilles).

The History Center and Archives is open Tuesday through Friday from 1:00pm to 4:30pm and by appointment. If you are driving from any distance please call ahead.









Children research local history.

Images courtesy of the History Center and Archives, Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center.

Entry compiled by Christina Johnson

Cofrin Library, Special Collections Department

University of Wisconsin - Green Bay
2420 Nicolet Drive
Green Bay, Wisconsin 54311-7001
Phone: (920) 465-2333

The Special Collections Department of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay was established in 1972. Having been established only six years after the founding of the University, the repository was able to document the university’s founding and early development in great detail. Along with storing the university’s records and special collections, the department is a member of the Wisconsin Historical Society’s area research center. Patrons are able to access a wide variety of manuscript materials that document the history of Northeastern Wisconsin.

Collections
As one of the 14 members of the Area Research Network, public records and manuscript materials from the counties of Brown, Calumet, Door, Florence, Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Marinette, Menominee, Oconto, Outagamie, and Shawano can be found in the Special Collection Department. The types of materials available include books, census records, photographs, oral histories, Belgian-American research materials, and maps. The University Archives contains complete files of virtually every university-generated publication, departmental and administrative records, and the records of individual faculty members.



Fourth of July Parade, Green Bay, WI ca. 1918.


Postcard of the Bay Beach Pavillion, Green Bay, WI.


Charles Linzmeier farm, ca. 1900. Belgian-American Research Collection.

Images courtesy of Cofrin Library, Special Collections Department, University of Wisconsin - Green Bay.

Entry compiled by Greg Kocken

University of Wisconsin- University Archives and Records Management Services

425 Steenbock Library
550 Babcock Drive
Madison, WI 53706-1201
Phone: (608) 262-5629

Archives: uwarchiv[at]library.wisc.edu
Records Management: recmgmt[at]library.wisc.edu
Iconograhy: bschermetzler[at]library.wisc.edu
Oral History: oralhist[at]library.wisc.edu
http://archives.library.wisc.edu/

The University of Wisconsin-Madison Archives was founded in 1951 with the mandate to preserve University records, records management services and serve as an educational resource promoting the University. The repository also serves as the official repository of the UW-Extension and UW-Colleges systems. There are four main sections of the archives: the Archives proper, the Records Management Service, the Iconography section, and the Oral History Program. The UW Archives is part of the General Library System, and as such collaborates with UW Digital Collections to make collections available on-line.

Collections
The UW-Archives houses collections related to the history of the University, covering topics such as academics, athletics, and student life. Several university publications, including the Badger Yearbook and Wisconsin Alumni Magazine, are available in full-text through UW Digital Collections.

The UW-Records Management Service establishes the records retention schedules for the University administration. The Service maintains records liaisons with the academic departments to ease the process of records collection. Records are preserved by the service for legal, financial, historical and administrative purposes.

The Iconography section houses visual materials related to the University. Particularly significant are the photograph collections of the Daily Cardinal, and the Badger Yearbook. Popular photo collections include the UW-Madison Chancellors, UW-Madison Athletics, the Wisconsin Union, and Madison Protests. The total image collection is more than 2,500,000 images. Many images are available on-line through UW Digital Collections.

The Oral History Program began in 1972 and has collected over 800 interviews to date. The bulk of the interviews concern academic staff and the events of their tenure at the University. About one third of interviews were taken as parts of special projects covering topics such as the UW Merger, the Arboretum, and the Teaching Assistants Strike of 1970. Current projects include interviews of the UW-Forest Products Lab and the Madison LGBT community.



Students, 1879. Students pose in front of Bascom Hall.


Etching of Campus, 1890. The campus as it appeared around 1890. The large building in the background is Bascom Hall.


Composite Photograph, UW Home. The composite photograph developed by UW Digital Collections for the University of Wisconsin- University of Wisconsin- University Archives and Records Management Services webpage.

Images courtesy of the University of Wisconsin- University Archives and Records Management Services.

Entry compiled by Tyler Kennedy

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Area Research Center

Harold Andersen Library
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
800 West Main Street
Whitewater, WI 53190
Phone: 262/472-5520

The Area Research Center (ARC) is a cooperative project of the University and the Wisconsin Historical Society to preserve historical records in Jefferson, Rock and Walworth counties.

More than 130 series of local government public records include microfilmed Rock County probate case files and index (1835-1938); City of Watertown justice dockets (1852-1935); Walworth County tax rolls (1849-1965); and records of nineteen Walworth County rural school districts. The ARC also has the naturalization papers for Rock, Walworth and Jefferson counties.

The ARC holds over 100 collections of papers and records produced by private organizations and individuals. Among them are the records (1889-1966) of Willson-Monarch Laboratories, an Edgerton patent medicine manufacturer; papers (primarily 1836-1853) of John T. Haight, an early Jefferson County settler; legislative papers (1967-1974) of James D. Swan, a conservative state senator from Elkhorn; and records (1924-1950) of United Automobile Workers, Local 121.



Snow in Whitewater! View looking north along First Street to its intersection with Main Street. According to the Whitewater Register newspaper "nothing like it was ever seen before in Wisconsin..." Photo was probably taken from the second story of the Bowers Opera House. Wisconsin Historical Images, Image ID: 2215


1870 Bird's-eye map of Whitewater. Wisconsin Historical Images, Image ID 22851


Members of the 1899 Whitewater football team pose for a picture. Wisconsin Historical Images, Image ID 7806


A 1971 poster announcing People's Art Fest. From the Madison People's Poster and Propaganda Collection. Wisconsin Historical Images, Image ID 55375

Images courtesy of University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Area Research Center.

Entry compiled by Simone Munson

Glenn Curtis Smoot Library and Archives

Chippewa Valley Museum
Located in Carson Park, Eau Claire, WI
Mailing address: P.O. Box 1204, Eau Claire, WI 54702
Phone: 715-834-7871
Email: history[at]cvmuseum.com
http://cvmuseum.com/

Library and archives hours: Tuesday-Friday, 1-5 p.m. and by appointment.
Contact: Eldbjorg Tobin, Librarian, etobin[at]cvmuseum.com

The Chippewa Valley Museum came into existence in 1974, and the library and archival holdings reflect its primary purpose: to discover, collect, preserve and interpret the history of the Chippewa Valley. The Glenn Curtis Smoot Library and Archives, located in Carson Park since 1974, contains over 14,000 historic images and more than 25,000 documents preserving the history of the Chippewa Valley, available for researchers and genealogists.

Collections
Information about the library and archival collection is available at the Chippewa Valley Museum’s website: http://cvmuseum.com/. A description of the archival collections is available there, the largest of which is historical photographs, containing the most extensive image collection in the Eau Claire area, with over 14,000 images from the mid-19th century to the present. Another notable collection is the Logging and Lumbering Collection containing documents related to the logging industry and the depletion of the pine forests in the area. The Farming and Farm Life Collection documents histories of particular farm families in the in the Chippewa Valley. The Gillette/Uniroyal Collection traces the history of the rubber manufacturing industry in Eau Claire and the Gillette/Uniroyal Company in particular. Finally, the Schlegelmilch Collection contains the papers of the prominent Schlegelmilch family and their house, the Schlegelmilch House, which is maintained by the Chippewa Valley Museum.



South Barstow St. downtown Eau Claire, 1925.


Eau Claire Baseball Team, 1900-1920.


Eau Claire Senior High School, 1939.

Images courtesy of the Glenn Curtis Smoot Library and Archives.

Entry compiled by Sarah Mueller

Robert L. Parkinson Library & Research Center at Circus World

Circus World Museum
550 Water St.
Baraboo, WI 53913
608-356-8341
http://circusworld.wisconsinhistory.org/About/ResearchCenter.aspx

Erin E. Foley, Archivist
efoley.cwm[at]baraboo.com

Circus World Museum is a national-class museum and research center dedicated to preserving and sharing the history of the circus in America. It is located in Baraboo, Wisconsin, because that was the winter home of the Ringling Bros. Circus between 1884 and 1918, a period during which the show grew from traveling on 12 wagons, into a huge operation that required three trains to move all the equipment, people and animals.

The Museum opened in 1959. Owned by the Wisconsin Historical Society, Circus World is operated by an independent board. The grounds include eight of the ten remaining buildings from the Ringling Bros. Circus winter quarters. Open year round, the summer season adds two professional circus performances and other activities each day.

Circus World’s Library and Research Center was established in 1965, and is located at 415 Lynn St., adjoining the south side of the Museum. The artifacts and archives in the building document circus and Wild West shows throughout North America. Highlights of the archival collection include 4200 books and serials; 8000 posters; 80,000 photos; 300 original poster sketches; 900 reels of film; and 1800 cu. ft. of archival collections, including 300 cu. ft. of administrative records from the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, 1920-1960. The Library and Research Center also holds smaller collections of materials from allied entertainments such as carnivals, tent theaters, and medicine shows. The artifact collection includes everything from 200 full-sized circus wagons to the tiny pieces from a flea circus.



Between the 1880s and the 1920s, more than 100 circuses went on the road every summer, performing in a different city every day between April and October. This photo shows the biggest circus of them all, Ringling Bros., set up outside Red Wing, Minnesota, in 1915. The big top (top of the picture) could seat 14,000 spectators at each show. This photo is one of 80,000 historical images available to researchers by Circus World Museum’s Library and Research Center. (Steve "Heck" Albasing photo)


Circus is famous for its advertising. This woodcut advertisement for the Great India Elephant is one of more than 8000 posters in the collection at Circus World Museum. Dating to 1832, it is one of the earliest American circus posters.


Circus World Museum’s collection continues to grow with regular additions from current shows. This photo of a troupe of Chinese acrobats was taken in 2007 at one of Circus World Museum’s performances.

Top image: The Robert L. Parkinson Library and Research Center, 415 Lynn St., Baraboo, Wisconsin, is open year round for visits by researchers. Generally the library is open Tuesday to Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., year round. Reservations are recommended.

Images courtesy of Circus World Museum, Baraboo, Wisconsin.

Entry compiled by Heather Heckman