31 results

Achille Bertrand arrived in Superior with his parents on the Lady Elgin (the same ship that would gain notoriety for its horrific wreck in 1860) in June of 1857, where he remained until 1886. In this…

Theodore Rodolf came to Wisconsin from Switzerland in 1834, settling in the lead country of Lafayette County. Drawn to the area because of its rising economic importance, Rodolf met many prominent Wis…

William Bartlett produced this eclectic history of the Chippewa Valley drawn from newspaper articles, personal reminscences, photographs, and interviews with residents of the area. Of particular note…

Brule, an interpreter for Champlain, journeyed into the far West with Huron guides in 1622 or 1623. He is believed to have communicated this adventure to his employer and to author Gabriel Sagard-Théo…

Chapter 24 from the book Down Home Dairyland: A listener's guide. With audio file of the corresponding installment of the radio program.

After Joliet and Marquette returned from their 1673 Mississippi voyage, French officials refrained from publishing their findings. Several manuscripts telling their story circulated in Paris, however…

This is one of many letters that Charlevoix wrote to a correspondent at Paris to try to convey what the New World was like. He was refined and well-educated, and his letters are marked by charm, grace…

Isaac Lee was authorized by Congress in 1820 to investigate the claims of long-time French residents to lands in Wisconsin. He visited Prairie du Chien and Green Bay that same year, and his report was…

Marquette drew this map when he returned from his 1673 journey with Joliet. It is the first European map of the Mississippi Valley. His information quickly began to appear on subsequent European maps…

Male vocal quartet. Recorded circa May 1918 in New York, New York.

Despite the title, this memoir by fur trader Louis Porlier actually touches on several subjects and is composed largely of two speeches. The first is by the Menominee chief Sho-no-nee (1785-1864; usua…

Radisson and his brother-in-law, the Sieur de Groseilliers, were the first French explorers to visit Wisconsin after Nicolet (in 1654-56), and the two returned for the trip described here in 1659-60.…

Wisconsin government officials tried to encourage settlers to come to the state several times in the 19th century. They employed a commissioner or a formal board of immigration during the years 1852-1…

The Ho-Chunk long recalled their first encounters with the Europeans who arrived so unexpectedly in the seventeenth century. Their memories of these meetings were passed down verbally from parent to c…

When Iroquois attacks drove his small flock of converts 1,000 miles west, Fr. Rene Menard followed after them and became the first Jesuit priest to reach Wisconsin. After wintering on Keweenaw Bay, wh…

The Menominee long recalled their first encounters with the Europeans who arrived so unexpectedly in the seventeenth century. Their memories of these meetings were passed down verbally from parent to…

Baron Lahontan came to New France in 1683 to fight the Iroquois, and between campaigns observed daily life in the colonies, hunted with the Indians, and traveled throughout the St. Lawrence Valley. In…

When Marquette's report on his 1673 Mississippi River voyage appeared in print for the first time in 1681, it was accompanied by this map. Their publisher, Melchisédec Thevenot, had traveled widely hi…

Chapter 2 from the book Down Home Dairyland: A listener's guide. With audio file of the corresponding installment of the radio program.

Chapter 33 from the book Down Home Dairyland: A listener's guide. With audio file of the corresponding installment of the radio program.