Posts tagged history

River Rat:

Today we meet Kenny Salwey, one of the last of Wisconsin’s “river rats” — people who once made their lives and their living along the Mississippi River.

The last of Wisconsin’s river rats, Kenny Salwey is a storyteller, educator, and the author of “Muskrat for Supper.”

Martial Arts Elvis:

August 16th marks the 35th anniversary of Elvis’s death. And while many people will make the pilgrimage to Graceland to mark the occasion, commentator Dean Robbins tells us about a place a little closer to home.

Dean Robbins is the editor of Isthmus, Madison’s alternative weekly.

Big Spider Lake:

For a lot of midwesterners, summer is the time to head “Up North” to a lakefront cabin or camp on one of Wisconsin’s pristine northwoods lakes. For five generations, commentator Marnie Mamminga and her family have returned to Big Spider Lake near Hayward – to the cabin her grandparents built. It’s a place that holds a lot of history.

Marnie Mamminga has just written a memoir about the place – called “Return to Wake Robin: One Cabin in the Heyday of Northwoods Resorts.”

Buddy Holly:

February is Grammy Awards month, a time to celebrate the best new music of the year. Commentator Dean Robbins rarely misses the Grammys, but February has another meaning for him. A little more than fifty years ago, rock and roll legend Buddy Holly was touring Wisconsin when his small plane went down. He and his tour mates died in the crash, but not before changing the course of rock and roll.

Dean Robbins is the Editor of the Isthmus, Madison’s alternative weekly newspaper.

Paramount Records:

February is Black History month. Today, commentator Dean Robbins uncovers a little-known story, about the Wisconsin roots of some of the late, great, Delta blues musicians.

Dean Robbins is the Editor of Isthmus, Madison’s alternative weekly newspaper.

Patriotic Potatoes:

Hearty roots, squashes, and tubers are among the staples of winter meals in Wisconsin. Commentator Eric Dregni considers potatoes part of his Norwegian heritage. Today, commentator Eric Dregni tells us how potatoes went from famine food in the 19th century to a patriotic weapon in the 20th.

Commentator Eric Dregni teaches English at Concordia University in St. Paul. He’s the author of several books including Vikings in the Attic: In Search of Nordic America.

Bunny Berigan:

75 years ago, a man from Fox Lake did something extraordinary. So extraordinary, that the state of Wisconsin erected a historical marker in his Dodge County hometown, population 14-hundred. Who was he? Commentator Dean Robbins has the story.

Dean Robbins is the editor of Isthmus, Madison’s alternative weekly newspaper.

Jello Salad:

Alongside the turkey, mashed potatoes, and cranberries is another Midwestern holiday tradition: jello salad. If you’re lucky (or unlucky) enough to be served on today, you might like to know something about their origin. Commentator Eric Dregni shares the Scandinavian tradition of these quivering salads.

Eric Dregni is an assistant professor of English at Concordia University in St. Paul. He’s the author of several books including Vikings in the Attic: In Search of Nordic America.