The American Geographical Society Library at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee has an amazing collection of Sanborn maps of Milwaukee from 1894 and 1910. The E.P. Allis Reliance Works and Allis-Chalmers Company are among the maps in this collection. Each picture below will take you to the page where they can be viewed up close.… Continue reading Allis Sanborn Maps
Tag: Historic
D-10 Series II Restoration
(If you would like to see some of our other restorations, click here.) Our D-10 was the 4th and most recent restoration job that we worked on. I had done some various work on it in it before the painting part of the project. My brother and I took the head off, only because the… Continue reading D-10 Series II Restoration
John Deere Letter About Allis-Chalmers
Here is some tractor history that Allis-Chalmers and John Deere enthusiasts can get interested in. The word in the AC world is that John Deere was rather pleased when Allis-Chalmers finally stopped making tractors on December 6, 1985. Rumor has it that John Deere was so thrilled that it (whoever "it" was at Deere & Co.) sent out a letter to the dealers… Continue reading John Deere Letter About Allis-Chalmers
Allis-Chalmers Tractor Production Ends
Today is a rather sad milestone in Allis-Chalmers History. On this day back in 1985 the last Allis-Chalmers tractors rolled out of the West Allis Works. The agricultural division had been sold off to Klockner-Humboldt-Deutz (KHD) of West Germany in May of that same year. The tractor plant was not included in the deal. Essentially KHD had bought production… Continue reading Allis-Chalmers Tractor Production Ends
#5 La Crosse Works
The humble beginning of the La Crosse Plow Company started in 1860, when John M. Barclay and I.S. Bantan started the Barclay and Bantan Implement Works in La Crosse, Wisconsin. In May 1865, Albert Hirschheimer bought the small shop and carried on making horse-drawn farm equipment there, calling it the A. Hirschheimer and Company.* Hirschheimer partnered… Continue reading #5 La Crosse Works
Markesan Washing Machine in Milwaukee
I ran into a rather interesting article in the Milwaukee Journal from October 13, 1919. It relates to my hometown of Markesan and a wash machine that was built there. This Milwaukee paper was advertising a washing machine, but it wasn't just ANY washing machine, it was a "THE MARKESAN" electric wash machine. What most… Continue reading Markesan Washing Machine in Milwaukee
Eight Rural Culture Elements
I've been doing a lot of reading on how to kickstart some change in Markesan. I ran into a very interesting article done by the Kansas Sampler Foundation and what they called the eight rural culture elements. What seems to be a problem, which the same problem about 10 years ago when a movement like this was… Continue reading Eight Rural Culture Elements
Historic Markesan
For Markesan's annual Heritage Days I put together a brochure to guide people around some historic spots in our community. Another historical society member helped get the brochures printed and ready for the event. The brochure has numbered locations, as well as some historical anecdotes for each location. The locations on our historical map correspond with sections of my… Continue reading Historic Markesan
History of the Blatz Brewing Company
The Blatz Brewing Co. history can be traced back to 1846 in the young city of Milwaukee. The brewery grew as one of the big 4 of Milwaukee and made significant contributions to the city's beer industry. Unfortunately, pressures of the changing times and competition shut down the brewery and led to consolidation with other big breweries.… Continue reading History of the Blatz Brewing Company
“This Flag Dips To No Earthly King!”
I am sure a lot of us are glued to our televisions watching our countries at the XXX Olympics. The modern Olympics started in 1896 in Athens, Greece. The original Olympics date back to ancient Greece when the city-states competed against each other. The games were revived in the late 19th century and commenced in the ancient… Continue reading “This Flag Dips To No Earthly King!”
The Weekend Historian 