WISCONSIN STORIES IS A PARTNERSHIP OF THE STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF WISCONSIN AND WISCONSIN PUBLIC TELEVISION.

Tracy Will: THE THING ABOUT HISTORY IS THAT WE NEVER STOP MAKING IT. THAT'S ONE REASON THERE'S SO MUCH OF IT. Debbie Kmetz: THAT'S WHY WE NEED STORY TELLERS IN OUR FAMILIES AND OUR COMMUNITIES AND OUR STATE. TO HELP US REMEMBER ALL THE REMARKABLE THINGS THAT WE AND OUR ANCESTORS HAVE EXPERIENCED. Will: TO HELP US REMEMBER OUR WISCONSIN STORIES.

MAJOR FUNDING FOR WISCONSIN STORIES IS PROVIDED BY THE MEAD WITTER FOUNDATION, INC. WISCONSIN RAPIDS, WISCONSIN. ADDITIONAL FUNDING IS PROVIDED BY THE HALBERT AND ALICE KADISH FOUNDATION PHILIP J. AND ELIZABETH B. HENDRICKSON AND AN ADVISED FUND OF THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF SOUTHERN WISCONSIN.

DO YOU KNOW THAT THE STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF WISCONSIN IS OLDER THAN THE STATE OF WISCONSIN ITSELF ? HELLO EVERYBODY, I'M TRACY WILL FROM WISCONSIN PUBLIC TELEVISION. AND I'M DEBBIE KMETZ FROM THE STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF WISCONSIN. IN ADDITION TO BEING MY CO-HOST TRACY IS THE AUTHOR OF A POPULAR WISCONSIN TRAVEL GUIDE. DEBBIE WORKS FOR THE STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY. SHE'S ONE OF THOSE HELPFUL PEOPLE THAT ASSISTS LOCAL HISTORICAL SOCIETIES SO YOU'LL SEE HER INVOLVED IN PROJECTS ALL OVER WISCONSIN. WELL, TRACY, TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION THE STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY WAS FOUNDED IN 1846. TWO YEARS BEFORE STATEHOOD WHILE WISCONSIN WAS STILL A TERRITORY. WHICH MEANS THAT THE BUILDING BEHIND US HAS ONE OF THE LARGEST AND MOST PRESTIGIOUS COLLECTIONS IN THE ENTIRE UNITED STATES. INSIDE, YOU'LL FIND PHOTOGRAPHS MANUSCRIPTS AND BOOKS THAT WOULD TANTALIZE ANYBODY'S CURIOSITY. AND THAT'S WHAT THIS SHOW IS ABOUT-- HISTORY AND CURIOSITY AND ASKING QUESTIONS AND FINDING ANSWERS.

IF YOU'VE NEVER BEEN HERE AT THE KOHL CENTER ON THE UW-MADISON CAMPUS YOU'VE BEEN SOME PLACE LIKE IT. WHERE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE GATHER TO WATCH THEIR FAVORITE SPORTING EVENT. BUT IN 1940, ALMOST TWICE AS MANY PEOPLE AS CAN FIT IN HERE WENT TO A CORN FIELD IN WISCONSIN TO WATCH A DIFFERENT KIND OF COMPETITION. HOW THE HECK DID THAT HAPPEN ?

SIXTY YEARS AGO MORE THAN HALF OF WISCONSIN'S FAMILIES LIVED ON THE FARM. AND FARM WORK WAS A LOT DIFFERENT THEN. ALL THE WORK WAS DONE WITH HORSES AND HUMAN HANDS. EVERY FALL, HUGE CROWDS GATHERED TO WATCH CORN HUSKING COMPETITIONS IN EVERY TOWN AND COUNTY IN CORN COUNTRY. AND IN 1940, THE STATE CORN HUSKING CHAMPIONSHIPS WERE HELD RIGHT HERE, IN BEAR VALLEY IN RICHLAND COUNTY. 
( rooster crows )
 HERE I AM WITH TWO PEOPLE WHO WERE ACTUALLY AT THAT EVENT. HELEN ANN, YOUR FATHER WAS THE MASTER FARMER WHO HOSTED THE 1940 CORN HUSKING CHAMPIONSHIP. WHAT WAS IT LIKE THAT DAY ? OH, THERE WERE MANY-- HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS, I GUESS MAYBE THOUSANDS OF CARS. THERE WERE PEOPLE ALL OVER. NOW WE CAN IMAGINE THINGS LIKE THAT HAPPENING BUT BACK IN THE '40s, NOT. AND IN THOSE DAYS THEY DIDN'T HAVE PORTA-POTTIES, LIKE THEY DO NOW. THAT'S PRETTY AMAZING, 25,000 PEOPLE. AND NO PORTA-POTTIES. I WAS A FRESHMAN IN HIGH SCHOOL AT THAT TIME. IF I REMEMBER RIGHT I WAS LOOKING AT SOMEONE FROM THE RICHLAND CENTER HIGH SCHOOL BAND WHO PLAYED THE TROMBONE. I HAD MY EYE ON HIM. WELL YOU GOT LUCKY TO MARRY A MAN FROM JUST ACROSS THE VALLEY. 
( laughs )	
 YES. WELL, KENNETH, YOU WERE A KID GROWING UP JUST DOWN THE ROAD. WHAT WAS THE EVENT LIKE FOR YOU ? OH, IT WAS REAL EXCITING. BEING A COUNTRY BOY AND NOT GOING MUCH OF ANYWHERE MOST OF MY LIFE-- THAT WAS A BIG CROWD. I REMEMBER HELEN ANN'S FATHER WHEN HE GOT THE NOD FROM THE OFFICIALS HE FIRED OFF THE SHOTGUN AND THEY STARTED PICKING CORN. AND THE CORN WAS REALLY FLYING. THERE'D BE ONE AGAINST THE BANG BOARD AND ONE IN THE AIR. AND YOU'D BE GRABBING FOR ANOTHER ONE ALL THE TIME. Will: HERE'S KARL GUTKNECHT. HE GREW UP ON THE FARM WHERE THE COMPETITION WAS HELD. KARL, HOW DID YOU PLANT THE FIELD ? DID YOU DO ANYTHING SPECIAL ? NO, I DON'T THINK WE DID ANYTHING SPECIAL EXCEPT WE WERE SURE THAT THE FIELD WAS WELL PREPARED. SO, THERE WERE FOUR STANDING ROWS AND NEXT TO THE FOUR STANDING ROWS THERE WERE FOUR ROWS THAT WERE NOT THERE. THAT'S WHERE THE WAGON WAS, AND THE TAKE. THAT'S WHERE THE CORN WAS THROWN BY THE HUSKER. THE HUSKER TOOK TWO ROWS AT A TIME. WHEN HE GOT DOWN TO THE END OF THE FIELD HE TURNED AROUND AND TOOK THE OTHER TWO ROWS. HE'D DO TWO ROWS, COMING DOWN LIKE THIS, ON EITHER SIDE. RIGHT. THROWING THE EARS, LIKE THIS. WHEN HE COMES DOWN THE OTHER SIDE HE'D BE COMING BACK ON THOSE TWO ROWS OVER THERE. RIGHT. WHAT DID IT SOUND LIKE ? A LOT LIKE A BUNCH OF SHOTGUNS IT WAS HITTING THOSE BANG BOARDS IN 18 DIFFERENT WAGONS. "BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG !" ALL THE WAY THROUGH. IT WAS REALLY QUITE A SITE TO SEE. EIGHTY MINUTES, AS FAST AS YOU COULD GO. THERE WERE TWO MEN FOLLOWING WITH A SACK. IF YOU MISSED ANY EARS, THEY'D PICK THOSE AND PUT THEM IN THE SACK. THEN, THEY WEIGHED THAT AND THAT DEDUCTED FROM THEIR NET LOAD. THE OBJECT OF IT WAS TO HUSK FAST, HUSK CLEAN. THAT WAS THE SECRET TO WINNING. THE 1940 CHAMPION WAS 20-YEAR-OLD OMAR KOOPMAN WHO TOSSED A TON OF CORN INTO HIS WAGON. YOU NEVER LOOKED AT THE WAGON YOU WERE LOOKING FOR THE NEXT EAR. WHEN YOU GOT ONE OUT YOU WERE LOOKING FOR WHERE THE NEXT EAR WAS. I HAS HOPING TO GET NEXT TO POST. I WAS FIGURING THAT HE WAS THE GUY I HAD TO BEAT. THERE'S DICK. THAT'S DICK POST, RIGHT THERE. WATCH HIM THROW CORN. THERE WASN'T MUCH DIFFERENCE BETWEEN US. I WAS THE FIRST ONE TO MAKE THE CORNER AND DICK WAS NOT THAT FAR BEHIND ME. THE ONLY TIME WE EVER RUN OUT OF CORN WAS WHEN THEY HAD FOUR ROWS FOR EACH GUY. DICK AND I RUN OUT OF CORN. WHAT DID YOU DO ? WE WENT TO THE OTHER GUYS' ROWS. WELL, HOW FAST DO THEY MOVE ? WELL, YOU CAN COUNT THE EARS, YOU KNOW HE AIN'T THROWING TOO FAST. ONE, TWO... THREE, FOUR. HERE'S MINE-- ONE... TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE, SIX, SEVEN... EIGHT, NINE... NOW, YOU DON'T TELL ME-- THAT'S MORE THAN 40 EARS A MINUTE. YOU'RE PICKING AT ALMOST A SECOND A PIECE. HERE'S POST, HE'S THE SAME WAY. ONE, TWO... HOW WOULD YOU GRAB THE CORN ? YOU'D GRAB HALF THAT HUSK, ON THIS SIDE AND GRAB IT. AND AT THE SAME TIME, YOU TAKE THIS HOOK HERE AND JUST GIVE IT A TWIST, AND OFF SHE COMES. I DON'T THINK ALL OF THEM PICKED THAT WAY BUT THAT'S THE WAY I PICKED IT. THE RECORD SPEAKS FOR ITSELF. A COUPLE STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS AND ONE APPEARANCE AT THE NATIONALS. THAT'S GREAT. Will: OMAR WAS JUST A YOUNGSTER POISED FOR NATIONAL CORN HUSKING GREATNESS. BUT IT WASN'T TO BE.

AT THE STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF WISCONSIN WE HAVE ONE OF THE REASONS WHY THE STATE CORN HUSKING CHAMPIONSHIPS ENDED IN 1941. THIS CORN PICKER, FROM THE McCORMICK COLLECTION IS AN EXAMPLE OF THE TYPE OF MECHANIZATION THAT TOOK PLACE DURING WORLD WAR TWO. EQUIPMENT LIKE THIS MADE CORN HUSKING BY HAND OBSOLETE. SO, THE NEXT TIME YOU CHEER ON YOUR FAVORITE TEAM THINK ABOUT STAR ATHLETE, OMAR KOOPMAN COMPETING IN THAT CORN FIELD.

Debbie Kmetz: THERE'S NOTHING BETTER THAN HEARING STORIES FROM PEOPLE WHO WERE THERE WHEN IT HAPPENED. WHEN THERE'S FILM, TOO IT'S ALMOST LIKE BEING THERE YOURSELF. Will: WHAT ABOUT THINGS THAT HAPPENED SO LONG AGO THERE AREN'T ANY WITNESSES LEFT ? Kmetz: OVER A CENTURY AGO, THERE WAS A GREAT RACE FROM GREEN BAY TO MADISON THAT SOME PEOPLE CLAIM IS THE FIRST AUTOMOBILE RACE IN THE WORLD.

HOW DO WE TELL THAT STORY ? Will: THAT'S WHERE THE COLLECTIONS AT THE STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF WISCONSIN CAN COME TO THE RESCUE. Kmetz: THIS IS WHERE WE KEEP ALL OF THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATIONS OF GOVERNMENT AGENCIES. AND WITH THE HELP OF OUR LIBRARIANS, WE FOUND SOME REALLY NEAT STUFF. THIS IS A BOOK CALLED WISCONSIN HIGHWAYS. IT TELLS THE STORY OF J.W. CARHART WHO, IN 1873, INVENTED A STEAM BUGGY. PEOPLE HEARD ABOUT IT, AND IT GOT THEM THINKING. A LEGISLATOR FROM ADAMS COUNTY, NAMED GEORGE MARSHALL INTRODUCED A BILL, AWARDING $10,000. THAT'S $150,000 BY TODAY'S STANDARDS. THEY'D GIVE THAT $10,000 TO ANYBODY WHO COULD CREATE A SELF-PROPELLED VEHICLE THAT MET CERTAIN REQUIREMENTS. AND THEY PUT THE REQUIREMENTS RIGHT IN THE BILL. THE MACHINE HAD TO GO 200 MILES AVERAGE A WHOPPING FIVE MILES AN HOUR GO IN REVERSE AND IT NEEDED TO CLIMB A HILL. SO MANY PEOPLE APPLIED FOR THE REWARD THAT THREE COMMISSIONERS WERE APPOINTED TO DETERMINE A RACE THAT WOULD SEE WHICH WAS THE BEST MACHINE. THEY CAME UP WITH A COURSE FROM GREEN BAY TO APPLETON TO WAUPUN TO WATERTOWN FORT ATKINSON, JANESVILLE AND MADISON. AND THERE WOULD BE STOPS IN OSHKOSH TO HAUL LUMBER AND STOPS IN FORT ATKINSON TO PLOW FIELDS. AND THAT RACE TOOK PLACE IN JULY OF 1878.

Will: THE STEAM WAGON RACE IS A BIG EVENT REPORTERS FROM WISCONSIN NEWSPAPERS WERE ALL COVERING IT. HERE IT IS: "THE STEAM WAGONS." "GREAT EXCITEMENT CAUSED ALONG THE ROUTE..." "ARRIVAL OF THE 'OSHKOSH' HERE THIS AFTERNOON." "ALL THE OTHERS HAVE PETERED OUT OR FAILED TO COME TO TIME." SIX WAGONS WERE SUPPOSED TO BE IN THIS COMPETITION BUT ONLY TWO SHOW UP. THEY'RE KNOWN BY THE TOWNS THEY COME FROM. ONE IS THE "GREEN BAY" AND THE OTHER IS THE "OSHKOSH." AND THE OSHKOSH DAILY NORTHWESTERN HAS A CLEAR FAVORITE IN THE "OSHKOSH." "THE 'OSHKOSH' WAGON STEAMED ACROSS TO FT. HOWARD ...TO THE APPOINTED SPOT WHERE THE WAGONS WERE TO START." "THE 'GREEN BAY' COWLES' WAGON "BROKE THROUGH A CULVERT ...DAMAGING THE MACHINE. "SHE HAD TO BE TAKEN BACK TO THE SHOP FOR REPAIRS WHICH CAUSED AN HOUR'S DELAY." THIS IS THE FIRST OF SEVERAL PROBLEMS FOR THE "GREEN BAY" AND THE FIRST OF MANY REPAIRS. MEANWHILE, THE "OSHKOSH" MACHINE IS DOING GREAT. "AS IT'S HEADING TO APPLETON, A FREIGHT TRAIN COMES ALONG "...FOR ABOUT THREE MILES THE 'OSHKOSH' KEEPS EVEN "...RAILROAD MEN ESTIMATED HER MAXIMUM SPEED AT FROM 10 TO 20 MILES PER HOUR." NO ONE HAS EVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE. MEANWHILE, THE "GREEN BAY" MACHINE IS NO PLACE TO BE FOUND. "SO, AT NEENAH "THE COMMISSIONERS DELAY THE START UNTIL 1:00 "TO ASCERTAIN THE WHEREABOUTS OF THE 'GREEN BAY' MACHINE." THIS IS THE THIRD DAY OF THE RACE AND THE "GREEN BAY" HASN'T EVEN SHOWN UP. "WHEN THE MACHINE HADN'T LEFT GREEN BAY "THE COMMISSIONERS TELEGRAPHED FOR IT TO BE SENT BY RAIL TO JOIN THE OTHER MACHINE." WE'LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS IN OSHKOSH.

I CAME TO THE ARCHIVES TO SEE WHAT I COULD FIND ABOUT THE RACE. AND WITH THE HELP OF THE ARCHIVISTS, WE HIT THE JACKPOT. WE FOUND A LOT OF MATERIAL ABOUT GEORGE MARSHALL WHO TURNS OUT WAS INVOLVED IN ABOUT EVERY ASPECT YOU POSSIBLY COULD BE OF THIS RACE. HERE WE'VE GOT THE BILL THAT MARSHALL INTRODUCED TO THE LEGISLATURE. BUT IN ADDITION TO BEING A LEGISLATOR MARSHALL WAS AN INVENTOR, HIMSELF. HE HAD LOTS OF PATENTS. HE ALSO HAD A DESIGN FOR HIS OWN STEAM TRACTION ENGINE. HE WAS THINKING ABOUT PUTTING THIS INTO THE COMPETITION, BUT ULTIMATELY DECIDED NOT TO. HE WAS AVAILABLE THEN, AND THE GOVERNOR APPOINTED HIM ONE OF THE COMMISSIONERS. THEY BASICALLY TOOK HORSE AND CARRIAGES DID THE SAME ROUTE, CHECKING UP ON THE STEAM ENGINES AND ALSO OVERSEEING THE TRIALS. THIS IS MY FAVORITE DOCUMENT, IT'S MARSHALL'S DIARY. AND HE HAS AN ENTRY FOR EVERY DAY OF THE RACE. ON SATURDAY, JULY 20 THEY WERE IN OSHKOSH DOING THE LOAD AND SPEED TRIALS. "AT 3:45 P.M., THE TRIAL OF WAGONS RUNNING TOGETHER. "...'OSHKOSH' SHOT AHEAD "BUT FELL BEHIND BADLY AT 3/4. "...'GREEN BAY' WOULD HAVE BEATEN BY AT LEAST 40 RODS ...HAD IT NOT STOPPED AGAIN." THE "GREEN BAY" WAS ACTUALLY CAPABLE OF GREATER SPEED THAN THE "OSHKOSH" BECAUSE IT HAD THREE GEARS BUT IT WAS MORE TO MAINTAIN. IT WAS A COMPLICATED MACHINE, AND IT DID BREAK DOWN A LOT.

OH, HEY, DEBBIE. TRACY. I'M GOING UP TO VISUAL MATERIALS FOR PHOTOGRAPHS. SEE IF YOU CAN FIND ONE OF GEORGE MARSHALL. I WAS JUST UP IN THE ARCHIVES AND HE'S KIND OF AT THE CENTER OF THINGS. OKAY. I'VE GOT A LEAD IN THE LIBRARY. GREAT. I'LL SEE YOU LATER. OKAY.

Will: I'M AFRAID I HAVEN'T COME UP WITH VERY MUCH. ONE OF THE PROBLEMS OF THE LATE 1870s IS THAT MOST PHOTOGRAPHS ARE TAKEN IN PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIOS. AND NOT A LOT OF PHOTOGRAPHERS GO OUT ON THE ROAD TO TAKE PICTURES LIKE OF THIS RACE. I FOUND A PICTURE OF GEORGE MARSHALL, BUT IT'S ABOUT 1900. I FOUND ONE OTHER PHOTOGRAPH OF MARSHALL WHEN HE WAS IN THE STATE ASSEMBLY ABOUT THE TIME HE WOULD HAVE WRITTEN THE BILL THAT ENABLED THIS RACE. I DID FIND ONE OTHER IMAGE THAT IS INTERESTING, BUT SUSPICIOUS. IT WAS DRAWN IN 1948 FOR WISCONSIN'S CENTENNIAL. IT SHOWS TWO STEAM VEHICLES GOING DOWN A GRAVEL ROAD. FROM WHAT WE KNOW, THIS NEVER HAPPENED. THEY NEVER GOT THIS CLOSE TOGETHER. IF THIS WERE THE "GREEN BAY" CAR IT WOULD HAVE BEEN CAREENING INTO A SIDEWALK SOMEPLACE SCARING THE DAYLIGHTS OUT OF ANYBODY WHO WATCHED THE RACE. LOOK WHAT I FOUND IN THE LIBRARY. WHAT HAVE YOU GOT ? THIS IS INCREDIBLE. WHAT IS IT ? IT'S A PHOTOGRAPH OF THE "OSHKOSH." THAT'S IT ? THAT'S THE MACHINE. IT'S HUGE ! ISN'T THAT INCREDIBLE ? WHAT'S ALL THAT STUFF BEHIND IT ? LOOK, IT'S GOT A BOILER AND A SMOKESTACK. IT NEEDS TO PULL IT'S WATER. IT'S PULLING IT BEHIND IT. IT'S ALSO PULLING IT'S OWN FUEL. WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN WOOD OR COAL. ISN'T THAT NEAT ? THIS IS THE FIRST VEHICLE THAT HAD A STEERING WHEEL. LOOK AT IT, IT'S RIGHT THERE. THIS WEIGHED FIVE TONS. I BELIEVE IT, IT'S HUGE ! IT DOESN'T LOOK ANYTHING LIKE THESE SPINDLY VEHICLES. IT SAYS IT'S THE ONLY PICTURE THAT THEY KNOW OF OF THIS 1878 RACE. YEAH. UNBELIEVABLE !

THE GREAT RACE ENDED ON TUESDAY, JULY 23 WHEN THE "OSHKOSH" PULLED INTO MADISON AT 11:00 P.M. AND WAS MET BY A CROWD OF PEOPLE WITH TORCHES. IT WENT 201 MILES, A MILE FURTHER THAN REQUIRED. IT AVERAGED SIX MILES AN HOUR AND MADE IT FROM GREEN BAY TO MADISON IN 33 HOURS. SO, TRACY, WAS IT THE FIRST AUTOMOBILE RACE IN THE WORLD ? WELL, IT WAS A RACE. THESE WERE SELF-PROPELLED STEAM WAGONS. NO ONE HAD EVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE. IMAGINE BEING IN A SMALL TOWN AND SEEING THESE HUGE MACHINES CAREENING DOWN THE ROAD AT SIXTEEN MILES AN HOUR. IT MUST HAVE BEEN PRETTY EXCITING.

Kmetz: SOMETHING YOU MIGHT NOT REALIZE IS THAT THERE ARE OVER 300 LOCAL HISTORICAL SOCIETIES THAT ARE AFFILIATED WITH THE STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY. A LOT OF WHAT YOU'LL SEE ON OUR SHOW WILL COME FROM LOCAL HISTORICAL SOCIETIES. FOR INSTANCE, WE'RE HERE AT THE BOHMAN HOUSE IN WISCONSIN DELLS THE HOME OF THE DELLS COUNTRY HISTORICAL SOCIETY. WHY WOULD A FAMOUS TOURIST AREA HAVE AN EXHIBIT ON GROWING HOPS ? WELL, FOR A BRIEF PERIOD OF TIME WISCONSIN WAS THE PLACE TO GROW HOPS.

IT WAS THE BIG NEWS OF THE DAY. IN THE NORTHWESTERN STATES WHICH IN THE MID-1860s, INCLUDED WISCONSIN THERE WAS A COMMODITY MORE PRECIOUS THAN GOLD. HOP FLOWERS. THESE FLOWERS WERE ESSENTIAL FOR MAKING BEER. AND YOU MIGHT SAY "BEER AND WISCONSIN THAT'S A NATURAL" AND IT IS, BUT THAT'S NOT THE WHOLE STORY. IN THE MID-1860s THE NUMBER OF BREWERIES IN WISCONSIN WAS ON THE RISE. BUT THE PEOPLE WHO WERE MOST DESPERATE FOR THE HOPS WERE THE BREWERS ON THE EAST COAST.

THE DEMAND PEAKED AFTER THE CIVIL WAR BECAUSE IN NEW YORK THE HOP LOUSE HAD DECIMATED THE HARVEST. SUDDENLY, THE PRICE SHOT UP AND WISCONSIN FARMERS RESPONDED. WISCONSIN HAD JUST THE RIGHT CLIMATE. AND COUNTIES LIKE SAUK, ADAMS, JUNEAU AND COLUMBIA HAD JUST THE RIGHT SOIL. SUDDENLY, PEOPLE WERE HOPS HAPPY. "THE GOOD TIMES ARE HERE !" PROCLAIMED THE PAPERS. AND PEOPLE WENT SO FAR AS TO MORTGAGE THEIR FARMS IN ORDER TO PLANT MORE HOPS. AND A LOT OF PEOPLE WENT KIND OF WILD ABOUT GROWING HOPS THEY SPECULATED A LOT. ON A FOUR-ACRE PLOT, THE PROFIT IN 14 MONTHS WAS ABOUT $12,000 WHICH WAS A LOT OF MONEY IN THOSE DAYS. AND THE HOP GROWERS AND FARMERS THEY WOULD BUY FANCY HOUSES AND FANCY DRIVING RIGS, HORSE DRIVING RIGS. SO, THERE REALLY WAS A HOPS CRAZE. Kmetz: THE CRAZE WAS FOR EASY MONEY. THIS PERENNIAL ONLY NEEDED TO BE PLANTED TIED TO A 20-FOOT POLE AND ALLOWED TO GROW. Landt: IT LOOKS PRETTY HEALTHY, AND I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING. WELL, THEY'RE HEARTY. IT'S AN HEIRLOOM HOP FROM JUDGE MARSHALL'S FARM. IT CAME FROM CODDINGTON, CAME FROM NEW YORK AND PROBABLY CAME FROM ENGLAND. GROWING HOPS WAS ONE THING BUT IN EARLY FALL, HARVESTING MEANT THREE WEEKS OF LABOR-INTENSIVE WORK PULLING THE POLES AND PICKING THE PRICKLY FLOWERS. HOW DO THEY GET THE POLES OUT OF THE GROUND ? THE POLES COME OUT OF THE GROUND BY A POLE PICKER, A POLE PULLER. THIS POLE PULLER COMES-- HOOKS ONTO THERE. AND WITH THE LEVERAGE, WHY THEN IT COMES UP. AND YOU CAN SEE I ALREADY STARTED THAT. FIRST, THEY WOULD CUT OFF THE VINES PULL THE POLES AND THEN TAKE THEM OVER TO WHERE THE WOMEN WERE PICKING. Nijole Etziler: THE MEN WOULD BRING OVER A POLE LAY IT DOWN OVER THE BOX AND THE WOMEN WOULD STRIP THE HOP VINE OR THE FLOWERS, INTO THE BOX. WHAT DO YOU THINK THAT WORK WAS LIKE TAKING THE FLOWERS OFF THE VINE ? I CAN'T IMAGINE. IN THE PICTURES, WE DON'T SEE THEM WEARING GLOVES SO I DON'T KNOW IF THEY WORE GLOVES. BUT I HAVE HEARD SOMEBODY SAY THAT THEY COMPLAINED OF SORE FINGERS.

Kmetz: WOMEN WERE THE PREFERRED PICKERS PERSUADED TO LEAVE THEIR HOMES IN MILWAUKEE, OCONOMOWOC WATERTOWN AND OTHER PLACES BY THE PROMISE OF GOOD WAGES, UP TO $1.00 AND $2.00 A DAY. LOTS OF WOMEN, WHO UPON THEIR ARRIVAL CREATED A NEWSWORTHY SENSATION AT THE TRAIN STATION. THIS CLIPPING ISN'T FROM THE BARABOO PAPER BUT FROM A KILBOURN PAPER. KILBOURN WOULD BE ? THAT'S NOW WISCONSIN DELLS. THAT WAS THE CITY OF KILBOURN THEN. THIS IS REMARKABLE: "HOP DEPARTMENT. "IMMENSE ARMY OF HOP-PICKERS ! "WOMAN'S RIGHTS TRIUMPHANT ! "THIRTY REGIMENTS IN CALICO ! "30,000 RALLYING TO THE POLES ! "GREAT EXCITEMENT IN KILBOURN... "900 WAGONS CAPTURED ! KILBOURN CITY SURRENDERED !" WELL, THESE GIRLS WERE HELPING TO MAKE THE FORTUNE OF THE FARMERS, TOO. THESE WERE SOME OF THE FIRST MIGRANT WORKERS IN WISCONSIN. THE GROWERS PAID THE WOMEN'S TRANSPORTATION PROVIDED RESPECTABLE LODGING, EMPLOYED GOOD COOKS AND EVEN HIRED MUSICIANS FOR EVENING DANCES. THEY WOULD HAVE PARTIES, MOSTLY IN THE BARNS-- HOP DANCES. AND YOU WONDER HOW MANY ROMANCES STARTED OUT BETWEEN THE MEN WHO DID THE POLE PULLING AND THE GIRLS WHO PULLED THE VINES. DO YOU WANT TO HEAR SOMETHING ? I DO. I LOVE THIS. THIS IS FROM A BOOK CALLED BECKY MY FIRST LOVE. MRS. TRIMPY, A BARABOO NATIVE, WROTE THIS BOOK. SHE SAYS, "IN NO OTHER PART OF THE MIDDLE WEST "WERE THE YEARS THAT FOLLOWED THE CIVIL WAR "SO FILLED WITH COLOR AND ROMANTIC CHARM. "THE HOP BOOM OF 1865 "CAME WHEN FARMERS, ALMOST OVERNIGHT, BECAME RICH. "WELL DO I REMEMBER HOW AS A CHILD WITH WONDERING EYES "I WATCHED THE HOP PICKERS "WHO DANCED TO THE TINKLING MUSIC OF THE DULCIMERS IN MY UNCLE JOHN'S BARN."

Kmetz: THESE WERE HOP HEADY DAYS WITH WHAT SEEMED TO BE AN ENDLESS FLOW OF MONEY. BUT IN THE FALL OF 1868, AFTER ONLY A FEW GLORIOUS YEARS IT ALL CAME SUDDENLY TO AN END.

THE BOOM HAD GONE BUST. IN NEW YORK, HOP PLANTS HAD RECOVERED. AND IN WISCONSIN, THE PRICES PLUMMETED. MANY GROWERS HAD TO AUCTION GOODS TO PAY THEIR DEBTS. THERE WERE APPARENTLY SOME INCIDENTS IN KILBOURN CITY ABOUT WOMEN AND GIRLS NOT GETTING PAID. AND THIS IS WHAT THEY WROTE: "THE PICKERS, MOSTLY WOMEN AND GIRLS "GATHERED ABOUT HIM "AND WOULD STAY AROUND HIM UNTIL HE PAID IN FULL. "AND THEY WERE BACKED BY ABOUT 30 OR 40 OF OUR CITIZENS. "SOME OF THEM OCCASIONALLY INTIMATED "THAT HE COULD NEVER GET OUT OF TOWN WITH A WHOLE HIDE. "IN SEEING NO ESCAPE HE CAME DOWN HANDSOMELY AND PAID THE WHOLE AMOUNT." MAYBE THIS IS WHY THEY WROTE "WOMAN'S RIGHTS TRIUMPHANT."

WELL, THE HOPS BOOM WAS RELATIVELY SHORT BUT THERE'S AN ASPECT OF IT THAT LIVES ON TODAY. DO YOU REMEMBER THOSE HOPS DANCES ? WELL, THAT PHRASE "GOING TO THE HOPS DANCE" WAS SHORTENED TO... § LET'S GO TO THE HOP... 
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 WELL, YOU GUESSED IT. TODAY, EVERY TIME SOMEBODY GOES TO A "HOP" IT HARKENS BACK TO THE DAYS WHEN HOPS WERE KING. 
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 § AT THE HOP... 
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Will: PART OF THE FUN OF WISCONSIN STORIES IS WE'LL BE SEEKING OUT PEOPLE ALL OVER THE STATE WHO HAVE GOOD STORIES TO TELL. Kmetz: IN ADDITION TO THOSE WHO CAN TELL STORIES PLENTY OF WISCONSIN PEOPLE ARE PRETTY GOOD STORIES THEMSELVES.

Will: ONE OF WISCONSIN'S MOST FAMOUS MUSICIANS WAS A COUNTRY SWING BAND LEADER AND SONG WRITER NAMED PEE WEE KING. DRESSED IN COWBOY COSTUMES AND PREFORMING WEEKLY IN THE GRAND OLE OPRY PEE WEE KING WAS THE ONLY MUSICIAN TO RIDE AN ACCORDION ALL THE WAY TO THE COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME. NOW, HOW THE HECK DID THAT HAPPEN ?

PEE WEE KING WAS BORN JULIUS FRANCIS KUCZYNSKI IN 1914, ON MILWAUKEE'S SOUTH SIDE. HE STARTED WITH A VIOLIN, THEN TOOK UP THE ACCORDION AND LATER PLAYED IN HIS FATHER JOHN'S POLKA BAND. WITH THE STAGE NAME "FRANKIE KING" HIS BAND, "THE KING'S JESTERS" PERFORMED ACROSS SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN AND ON LOCAL RADIO STATIONS IN THE EARLY '30s. BY 1938, KING AND HIS ACCORDION ARRIVED IN HOLLYWOOD LEADING THE "GOLDEN WEST COWBOYS" IN GENE AUTRY'S SINGING COWBOY MOVIE, "GOLD MINE IN THE SKY." AS A SONGWRITER AND BAND LEADER, PEE WEE KING INTRODUCED A TRADITIONAL WISCONSIN INSTRUMENT, THE ACCORDION TO COUNTRY AND WESTERN MUSIC. 
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I'M HERE AT WAUNAKEE'S HAUFBRAU'S HOUSE WITH RICK MARCH, WHO IS THE HOST OF WISCONSIN PUBLIC RADIO'S "DOWN HOME DAIRYLAND." HOW DOES THE ACCORDION FIGURE INTO WISCONSIN'S MUSICAL CULTURE ? WELL, YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT THE ACCORDION WAS THE POPULAR MUSICAL INSTRUMENT IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE 19th CENTURY WHICH IS WHEN THE BULK OF THE EUROPEANS WHO IMMIGRATED TO WISCONSIN CAME. AND THE ACCORDION IS A GREAT INSTRUMENT FOR PLAYING FOR DANCING. YOU'VE GOT, IN ONE PERSON, ON YOUR RIGHT HAND YOU CAN DO THE MELODY AND HARMONY OVER HERE. 
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 AND YOU'VE GOT, ON YOUR LEFT HAND YOUR BASS AND YOUR RHYTHM. 
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 SO, IT WAS SOMETHING THAT RIGHT AWAY YOU COULD MAKE A PARTY, A DANCE PARTY WITH. 
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HOW DO YOU END UP WITH COWBOYS PLAYING ACCORDIONS ? WELL, THE ACCORDION WAS AN INSTRUMENT THAT WAS KNOWN IN THE WEST. CERTAINLY, THERE'S A LOT OF GERMANS POLES AND CZECHS THAT SETTLED IN TEXAS. THE ACCORDION SPREAD TO THE MEXICAN CONJUNTO PLAYERS THAT ARE SO FAMOUS. IN THE SHOW BUSINESS ASPECT, YOU HAD PEE WEE KING CONCRETELY BEING ASKED TO PLAY IN GENE AUTRY MOVIES. LATER ON, THAT JUST BECAME PART OF THE HOLLYWOOD IMAGE OF COWBOY MUSIC. 
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 SO, HOW DID A POLISH BOY FROM SOUTH MILWAUKEE END UP AS A STAR OF THE GRAND OLE OPRY ? IT BEGAN AT PLACES LIKE THIS ART'S CONCERTINA BAR ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF MILWAUKEE. I'M HERE WITH TEDDY "FABIAN" PYZYK AND MAX "KING" KUCZYNSKI. THEY WERE TWO OF THE PLAYERS IN THE BANDS IN MILWAUKEE AT THAT TIME. MAX, YOU CAME FROM A REAL MUSICAL FAMILY. HOW YOUNG WERE YOU WHEN YOU STARTED PLAYING ? I WAS ABOUT TEN YEARS OLD. WHAT DID YOU START PLAYING AS A TEN-YEAR-OLD BOY ? I PLAYED MY DAD'S CONCERTINA. WHEN YOU STARTED PLAYING PROFESSIONALLY WHERE DID YOU PLAY ? DID YOU PLAY FOR POLISH GATHERINGS ? SURE, A LOT. WHAT'S IT LIKE ON THE SOUTH SIDE ? WAS THE MUSIC IMPORTANT TO THE POLISH ? THERE WAS A LOT OF POLISH WEDDINGS. MAX PLAYED A LOT. ON THE SOUTH SIDE. AND WHEN WE PLAYED THE MUSIC IT WAS BEAUTIFUL MUSIC, BEAUTIFUL WALTZES. PEOPLE USED TO DANCE AND THEY USED TO HUG. IT WAS ROMANCE. OH, IT WAS LOVELY ! IT WAS SOMETHING THAT GAVE INSPIRATION AND LOVE. THAT'S THE TYPE OF MUSIC. BUT NOW ? WE NEED MORE OF THAT MUSIC TODAY, BUT NOW... BUT NOW... NOW ! PEE WEE KING'S BIG BREAK CAME IN 1932 WHEN GENE AUTRY'S CAR CRASHED NEAR RACINE. AS THE CAR WAS GETTING FIXED IN THE GARAGE AUTRY'S MANAGER, J.L. FRANK HEARD PEE WEE KING PLAYING ON THE RADIO. HE CALLED UP THE RADIO STATION, HIRED KING ON THE SPOT. KING CONTINUED TO TOUR WISCONSIN DATES WITH GENE AUTRY'S BAND AND WENT OFF AROUND THE COUNTRY ON A ROAD THAT WOULD LEAD TO THE GRAND OLE OPRY. Pyzyk: WE WENT TO LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY AND WE TRAVELED TOGETHER, AND WE PLAYED TOGETHER. AND HE WAS AN EXCELLENT ACCORDION PLAYER. WE PLAYED OVER W-H-A-S IN LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY. HOW DID RADIO HELP A BAND ? WELL, IT GAVE IT EXPOSURE. WHEN WE WORKED ON THE RADIO AND THEY ANNOUNCED "THE LOG CABIN BOYS." AND WE GOT "TATER" TED HERE, WE GOT BUDDY BROCK AND WE GOT PEE WEE KING, AND MAX KING, WHATEVER-- AND THEN, PEOPLE REALLY REMEMBERED THAT BECAUSE WE WERE ON EVERY DAY. EVERY DAY. AT 7:15, AND SOMETIMES 12:15. AND PEOPLE KNEW YOU. WHEN YOU MADE APPEARANCES, YOU SIGNED AUTOGRAPHS. IT WAS A GREAT LIFE !

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 Will: DURING WORLD WAR II, KING AND "THE GOLDEN WEST COWBOYS" TOURED U.S. MILITARY BASES WITH MINNIE PEARL AND OTHERS ON THE "CAMEL CARAVAN." AFTER THE WAR, THE GRAND OLE OPRY RADIO SHOW RECORDINGS AND LIVE PERFORMANCES MADE "THE GOLDEN WEST COWBOYS" AMERICA'S FAVORITE SWING BAND. 
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 IN 1948, KING TEAMED WITH HIS FIDDLE PLAYER AND SINGER, REDD STEWART AND PENNED THE "TENNESSEE WALTZ." § I WAS DANCIN' 
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 WITH MY DARLIN' TO THE TENNESSEE WALTZ... 
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 WHEN POP SINGER PATTI PAGE RECORDED THAT SONG IN 1952 THE "TENNESSEE WALTZ" CROSSED OVER TO TOP THE POP CHARTS. IT SOLD SIX MILLION RECORDS THAT YEAR, ON ITS WAY TO BECOME ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR SONGS IN COUNTRY MUSIC HISTORY AND AN AMERICAN CLASSIC. § MY FRIEND STOLE MY SWEETHEART FROM ME... 
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 PEE WEE KING, AN AMERICAN CLASSIC FROM MILWAUKEE. § AND THE TENNESSEE WALTZ... 
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Kmetz: WISCONSIN'S BRIMMING WITH GOOD STORIES LIKE THAT. AND WE HAVE THE RESOURCES TO RESEARCH ALL THOSE TOPICS HERE, AND AT LOCAL MUSEUMS AROUND THE STATE. AND WE HAVE THE CAMERAS AND THE SHOW TO BRING IT ALL TO YOU. IT'S A PERFECT MATCH. WE HOPE YOU THINK SO, TOO. WE HOPE YOU'LL JOIN US NEXT TIME. WE'LL SEE YOU THEN.

MAJOR FUNDING FOR WISCONSIN STORIES IS PROVIDED BY THE MEAD WITTER FOUNDATION, INC. WISCONSIN RAPIDS, WISCONSIN. ADDITIONAL FUNDING IS PROVIDED BY THE HALBERT AND ALICE KADISH FOUNDATION PHILIP J. AND ELIZABETH B. HENDRICKSON AND AN ADVISED FUND OF THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF SOUTHERN WISCONSIN.