Description

About the Event History Makers Tour 

The Wisconsin History Makers Tour will bring history directly to local communities in every region of the state through pop-up exhibits, artifact displays, public programs, art installations, and other activities. From the mid-1830s through the 1850s, more than a half million people settled in Wisconsin. While traveling in ships and wagons, establishing homes, and forming new communities, these men, women, and children recorded their experiences in letters, diaries, and newspaper articles. In their own words, they revealed their fears, joys, frustrations, and hopes for like in this new place. 

The Making of Pioneer Wisconsin provides a unique and intimate glimpse into the lives of these early settlers, as they describe what it felt like to be a teenager in a wagon headed west or an isolated young wife living far from her friends and family. Woven together with context provided by historian Michael E. Stevens, these first person accounts form a fascinating narrative that deepens our ability to understand and empathize with Wisconsin's early pioneers. 

Michael E. Stevens is Wisconsin State Historian Emeritus. He has published fifteen books and more than thirty articles on various historical subjects. His most recent book, The Making of Pioneer Wisconsin: Voices of Early Settlers, was published by the Wisconsin Historical Society Press. A Milwaukee native now living in Fitchburg, Stevens earned his Ph.D. in American history from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. 

The History Makers Tour is presented by Culver's and is made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Hosted by the Iowa County Historical Society. The event will be held in the Center's Community Room.