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175 Campaign | Wisconsin Historical Society

175 Campaign

Celebrate Wisconsin's Circus Heritage!

History is a story with many voices, always growing and evolving—a story we tell together.

Throughout time and place, humans have looked to the past to inspire the future. We study the stories of those who came before us to define who we are today, and who we want to become tomorrow. We have a conversation with our past to build a better future. There are countless chapters in this story — achievements that inspire us to be better, and tragedies that remind us not to go down the wrong path. Follow along as we share fascinating and diverse stories of people and places from Wisconsin history.

In 2021, the Wisconsin Historical Society marks its 175th year of collecting, preserving, and sharing history. Join us in celebrating Wisconsin visionaries, changemakers, and storytellers. We hope you find these stories illuminating, powerful, and inspiring.
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Storytellers

Wisconsin's Circus Heritage

Wisconsin has a rich circus history. The world-famous Ringling Bros. formed their circus in Baraboo in 1884, and between 1847 and 1998 over 100 circuses would call the Badger State home. This heritage lives on today at Circus World, one of the Society’s 12 historic sites and museums. Celebrate this history by exploring fascinating stories of circus performers with ties to Wisconsin who used their unique talents to positively impact the communities around them.

Ben Barkin rides in a vintage convertible waving happily to the crowd during a parade. His shirt is bright red and blue color block.

Ben Barkin

Elizabeth Fentress wears a bright magenta floor length satin gown. She smiles proudly in her top hat directly facing the camera in front of the big top.

Liz Fentress

This amazing woman, dressed in Edwardian period dark clothing, sits and looks comfortably at her giant python that is draped across her lap and onto the floor. She has a feathered cap.

Lou Ringling

Billy Schultz wears a black and white suit with no jacket. His hands are on his hips and he squints with a slight grimace at something off camera. He's facing profile and to the right.

William Schultz

Summer | 7 Days A Week | 9 AM - 4PM
Summer at Circus World!

June 18 – Aug 29

7 Days a week | 9 am - 4 pm

The beautiful big top has risen to host stupendous entertainment all summer long under a canvas sky of blue. This inspiring venue allows for socially distanced seating for guests to safely enjoy the splendor of live performances as we bring history to life. Enjoy inspiring interactions with animals, learn all about the art form of clowning through our “Be a Clown” presentation, and tap your toes with our Antique Musical Instrument concert located in the open air Hippodrome. All this plus seven National Historic Landmark buildings filled full of engaging exhibits and artifacts.

Visionaries

We celebrate these forward-looking innovators who charted new paths for others.

Studio portrait of Benjamin Butts wearing bow tie and suit circa 1930. He looks earnestly at the camera, mustache full and eyes twinkling.

Benjamin Butts

C. Latham Sholes in his later years. Looking away from the camera in this formal studio portrait, he stares hard to the left his hair and beard full and white, in a smart suit and bowtie.

C. Latham Sholes

Carl Eliason, inventor of the modern day snowmobile, stands next a snowmobile and the historic marker in Sayner during winter with his fur lined winter clothes.

Carl Eliason

Debra Amesqua wearing a black cowboy hat and a toothy smile holds a small guitar as though she's about to start playing.

Debra Amesqua

Manonia Evans (left) and Donna Burkett, 1971. Manonia Evans wears a wide labeled dress with short almost capped sleeves, her hair is curly and short, a small smile plays across her lips. Donna Burkett wearing a pork pie hat with a light ribbon, set at a jaunty angle and casual light suit. They stand close together with Evans' arm wrapped around one of Burkett's.

Donna Burkett & Manonia Evans

Edwin Farber examines a large light fixture looking focused and wearing a smart suit and glasses.

Edward R. Farber

Head and shoulders portrait of Ezekiel Gillespie. He looks slightly to the left away from the camera, looking serious and austere. A small pair of spectacles sit on his nose and he wears a smart suit in this grainy old studio portrait.

Ezekiel Gillespie

Laurel Clark in her astronaut uniform smiling at the camera with the american flag behind her.

Laurel Clark

Michael Vang plays soccer, running hard and fast towards the camera eye on the ball out of frame, another play close behind over his shoulder.

Michael Vang

Longtime Sauk County resident Milly Zantow (1923-2014) sits in front of a wall of plastic, crushed into cubes ready to be recycled. She smiles slightly at the camera, wearing glasses, a white tank top, and a blue apron.

Milly Zantow

Miriam Frank and Charlotte Partridge stand in front of a car, smiling slightly in this informal portrait. They are both wearing long black skirts, and lighter colored blouses. Bespeckled with round frames and both wear hats.

Miriam Frink & Charlotte Partridge

Ralph Kerwineo in a formal portrait, looking slightly away from camera, no hat, and a sharp collar.

Ralph Kerwineo

Ralph Warner, looks almost temptingly at the camera, chin tilted down, hat on.

Ralph Warner

Reverend John W. Carhart, ca. 1880, looks at the camera darkly in this formal studio portrait. His beard is full, and his hair is coiffed longer on top short on the sides. His eyes are overcast but there is a slight smile on his lips.

Reverend John W. Carhart

Tom Blake (shown in 1922) a handsome young man wears a swiming costume in front of a wire fence around a swimming pool. He looks steelily at the camera, a bit of a challenge in his eyes hair messy from swimming.

Thomas Blake

Hayward native Tony Wise shown in this undated photo in front of the Telemark Lodge looks off to the right away from the camera while wearing warm winter clothes for the snowy world around him. He's older, a bit rotund, with a slight squint and frown from the glare off the snow.

Tony Wise

Changemakers

We celebrate these changemakers who were pivotal in our state's history.

Ada Deer, 2007. A middle aged woman looking confidently at the camera while smiling. Her shirt is black and she wears beaded necklace pendant.

Ada Deer
Menominee

Portrait of Professor Ephraim “Eph” Williams looking a bit mysterious with his bowler hat and cane.

Ephraim Williams

In this atmospheric black and white photo, Ingrid Washinawatok looks down and off to the left away from the camera, her hair in main thin braids draped over her shoulders, and hand placed on her neck.

Ingrid Washinawatok El-Issa
Menominee

Judy Greenspan smiles happily at the camera in this outdoor photograph, wearing a leather jacket and a cowl neck like sweater. She used this photo in her campaign for School board.

Judy Greenspan

Jesus Salas, leader of Obreros Unidos (United Workers), Wisconsin's migrant farm worker union looks away from the camera and down, completely in profile his expression serious. En Espanol: Jesús Salas, líder de Obreros Unidos, un sindicato para trabajadores emigrantes en Wisconsin. Mira lejos de la cámara y hacia abajo, completamente de perfil su expresión seria

Jesús Salas

Lloyd Barbee in a somber crowd at a memorial gathering for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Looking off to the left his expression serious.

Lloyd Barbee

Lou Sullivan sits dramatically, and somewhat seriously, in a tuxedo with his hair slicked back behind his ears, stylishly. Lou Sullivan pictured in 1974 before attending the GPU’s drag ball.

Lou Sullivan

A formal portrait of Lucia Nunez, her curly hair tousled and slightly two toned, she wears a black turtle neck and a gray sweater jacket.

Lucía Nuñez

Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes smiles proudly at the camera in this portrait in front of the Wisconsin & US Flags.

Mandela Barnes

Margaret Farrow, Wisconsin’s first female lieutenant governor, at her home in Pewaukee. She looks off to the left away from the camera her hand on her chin smiling and looking as though she might be remembering the past, photos spread before her.

Margaret A. Farrow

Maria Luis Morales speaking at a demonstration for peace. She's wearing a blue shirt for the demonstration and her dark hair pulled back into a ponytail, scales of justice are visible behind her.

Maria Luisa Morales

An austere woman stands facing to the right, but looking left. She holds writing implements and wears a long black robe.

Mathilde Anneke

Looking austere and serious, she looks away slightly to the left of the camera her hair pulled tight to her head.

Mildred Fish-Harnack

Steve Gunderson gestures animatedly in front of chalkboard with equations behind him. Wearing a suit and fun tie he seems excited and engaged.

Steve Gunderson

Women workers pose outside Fairbanks Morse, 1943-1945. Teresa is highlighted in the above image in the second row, third from left. A slight smile can be seen on her face, despite the blurriness of the old image.

Teresa Kuykendall

Storytellers

We celebrate these storytellers who played a role in sharing history.

Allie Crumble working on a quilt, 1987. Throwing some serious side eye.

Allie Crumble

Chef Carson Gulley, University of Wisconsin-Madison residence hall chef, chopping vegetables.

Carson Gulley

David Carter informal portrait, smiling, medium short hair, a burdundy knit sweater with a plaid collar from a button up poking out.

David Carter

Earlene Fuller, smiles happily while holding her bowling ball. From the collection of Earlene Fuller bowling league photographs, 1963-1995.

Earlene Fuller

Helen Farnsworth Mears sitting on a ladder and resting her head against her hand.

Helen Farnsworth Mears

Jerome looking seriously off into the distance while in a canoe. Photograph was taken in 1942 on the Bad River Reservation, probably in the Kakagon sloughs. He captioned it, The Hunter. You can see his rifle so we know he's out hunting. Based on that and how the rice beds behind him look, likely taken in autumn.

Jerome Arbuckle
Bad River Ojibwe

Undated studio portrait of Lavinia Goodell. She looks directly at the camera and her lips tilted up slightly in a smile.

Lavinia Goodell

Portrait of Lutie Eugenia Stearns looking directly at the camera and seeming serious.

Lutie Stearns

Marin Denning looking at the camera wearing a tradionally beaded neck piece over a paisley print tie and a teal shirt in a black suit jacket. The background is a brightly printed tapestry, with primarily triangle motifies.

Marin Denning
Oneida

Marjorie Engleman looks away from the camera laughing and looking joyous

Marjorie Engelman

Robert Albert Bloch, author of Psycho, surrounded by tall bookshelves full of books, is sitting in front of a typewriter with an open cigarette case full of cigarettes, a bottle of Wing Fhung Hong, and a pile of papers.

Robert Albert Bloch

Robert Doyle emerges from a captured Japanese pillbox at Buna, New Guinea, (present day Papua New Guinea). The pillbox is built of dirt, logs and foliage.

Robert Doyle

Holocaust survivor Rosa Goldberg Katz in her residence looking quite happy as she sits at her table.

Wisconsin Survivors of the Holocaust
Rosa Katz

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