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... ? ?
WELL, YOU GUESSED IT.
TODAY, EVERY TIME SOMEBODY GOES TO A "HOP"
IT HARKENS BACK TO THE DAYS WHEN HOPS WERE KING.
? ?
? AT THE HOP... ? ?
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.
? ?
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.
? ?
AND YOU'VE GOT, ON YOUR LEFT HAND
YOUR BASS AND YOUR RHYTHM.
? ?
SO, IT WAS SOMETHING THAT RIGHT AWAY
YOU COULD MAKE A PARTY, A DANCE PARTY WITH.
? ?
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.
? ?
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.
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.
? ?
IN 1948, KING TEAMED WITH HIS FIDDLE PLAYER
AND SINGER, REDD STEWART
AND PENNED THE "TENNESSEE WALTZ."
? I WAS DANCIN' ?
? WITH MY DARLIN' TO THE TENNESSEE WALTZ... ? ?
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... ? ?
PEE WEE KING, AN AMERICAN CLASSIC FROM MILWAUKEE.
? AND THE TENNESSEE WALTZ... ? ?
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.