History

The National Archives has launched a Citizen Archivist program, enlisting virtual volunteers to improve the accessibility of its records.

In 1848, the first paper mill opened on the Lower Fox River in Appleton, launching the industry that put Wisconsin on the map. In 12 years, the state became the Midwest’s top paper producer.

The Pfister Hotel is “a place where things happen,” says chief concierge Peter Mortensen. In his 30 years at the landmark hotel, he’s seen it all — Mortensen likens choosing a standout memory to deciding on a favorite child.

Even before Jean Nicolet, the first European to explore the Great Lakes while seeking passage to the Orient, impressed Green Bay’s native Ho-Chunk with his Chinese silk robes and a pistol in each hand in 1634, the people of this land have known it’s more than fly-over (or paddle-through) country. It’s a place of notable, historical “firsts,” including the following six: