WISCONSIN STORIES IS A PARTNERSHIP
OF THE STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF WISCONSIN
AND WISCONSIN PUBLIC TELEVISION.
Tracy Will: EVER SINCE THE GLACIERS ROLLED OVER WISCONSIN
WE'VE HAD A RELATIONSHIP WITH ICE--
FOR FUN
FOR PROFIT
EVEN FOR GOLD AND GLORY.
SO, TONIGHT, A LOOK AT THE STATE'S FROZEN ASSET
ON 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.
["Ice Ice Baby" by Vanilla Ice]
DO YOU THINK IT'S SAFE TO WALK ON THE LAKE ?
IT COULD BE.
BUT THE WEATHER'S BEEN KIND OF WARM.
WISCONSIN'S GOT GREAT ICE.
YOU KNOW, OUR ICE MADE WISCONSIN FAMOUS
AT DIFFERENT POINTS IN HISTORY.
HAVE WE'VE SAID ENOUGH TO INTRODUCE THIS PROGRAM ?
LET'S GIVE IT A TRY.
I'M TRACY WILL, OF WISCONSIN PUBLIC TELEVISION.
I'M DEBBIE KMETZ, OF THE STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF WISCONSIN.
AS YOU MIGHT HAVE GUESSED
WE'RE HERE TO INTRODUCE THE TOPIC
OF THIS WEEK'S PROGRAM-- ICE.
WHAT'S SO SPECIAL ABOUT WISCONSIN ICE ?
WELL, NOT EVERYONE HAS
SUCH SMOOTH, CLEAN, CLEAR ICE AS WISCONSIN.
AND GOOD ICE HAS ALWAYS BEEN AN ASSET.
YOU CAN SKATE ON IT, CURL ON IT, BOAT ON IT--
ALL THINGS WE STILL DO TODAY.
IN HISTORY, PEOPLE ALSO MADE A LIVING FROM IT.
IT WASN'T UNTIL THE FIRST HALF OF THE 20th CENTURY
THAT MODERN REFRIGERATION CAME INTO COMMON USAGE.
BEFORE THAT, IF YOU WANTED TO KEEP SOMETHING COLD
YOU NEEDED ICE.
GOOD, CLEAN ICE
YOU CAN HARVEST IN THE WINTER AND USE IN THE SUMMER.
AND ALL OVER WISCONSIN
PEOPLE WERE CARVING UP POND AND LAKE ICE
AND SELLING IT FOR USE IN HOMES AND BUSINESSES.
IT WAS A BIG INDUSTRY NOT SO LONG AGO.
QUITE A FEW PEOPLE STILL REMEMBER ICE BOXES.
AND ICE DELIVERIES.
AND THE LONG DAYS OF ICE HARVEST.
Gaylord Moser: THERE USED TO BE A LITTLE TOWN CALLED FLORENCE.
AT ONE TIME, THERE WAS A SAW MILL AND A BLACKSMITH
A CHEESE FACTORY.
IT SURVIVED QUITE A WHILE.
OF COURSE, THE STORE IS GONE
AND THE CHEESE FACTORY, AND THE SAW MILL
AND EVERYTHING IS GONE NOW.
Will: WILMER AND GAYLORD MOSER
ARE COUSINS WHO GREW UP ON NEIGHBORING FARMS
NEAR THE SMALL TOWN OF FLORENCE, WISCONSIN
NEAR RICHLAND CENTER.
THE MOSER FAMILY RAN SEVERAL BUSINESSES
INCLUDING A MAPLE SAP
AND ICE HARVESTING OPERATION.
THEY CUT ICE FROM THE MILL POND
NEAR THE GRAIN MILL AT FLORENCE.
THIS MUST HAVE BEEN A GREAT PLACE TO PLAY.
DID YOU GO FISHING IN THE POND ?
Gaylord Moser: OH, YES.
WHAT DID YOU CATCH ?
WELL, IN THE WINTER, THIS POND WOULD FREEZE OVER.
THE MOSER BROTHERS HAD AN ICE RAFT AND ICE HOUSE HERE.
SO, EVERY WINTER THEY'D COME OUT HERE
WITH A TRUCK AND WOODEN PLOW
AND PLOW OFF THE SNOW. PLOW OFF HE SNOW.
Will: WILL MOSER'S FATHER
LOVED PHOTOGRAPHY.
AND IN 1933
BOUGHT A 16-MILLIMETER MOVIE CAMERA
AT THE CHICAGO WORLD'S FAIR.
HE FILMED MANY LOCAL EVENTS AROUND RICHLAND CENTER
INCLUDING THEIR ANNUAL ICE HARVEST.
HIS FILMS REVEALED THE HARD WORK
AND INGENUITY NEEDED
TO PACK A WAREHOUSE FULL OF ICE
TO SUPPLY LOCAL ICE BOXES EVERY SUMMER.
Will Moser: THEY WOULD PLOW THE SNOW OFF FROM THE ICE FIRST.
THEN, THEY WOULD HAVE A SAW, A HAND-DRAWN SAW AND A MOTOR.
I GUESS IT WAS A TRUCK ENGINE, OR A CAR ENGINE.
YOU WOULD PULL IT ALONG
AND SAW THE ICE.
AND CUT IT INTO BLOCKS.
THEY'D GO UP A CONVEYOR BELT
AND DOWN THE OTHER SIDE.
MEN WOULD BE DOWN BELOW TO CATCH THE ICE.
Gaylord Moser: THE CONVEYOR THAT WOULD TAKE THE ICE UP
A BLOCK WOULD JAM MIGHT JAM
AND THE REST OF THEM WOULD POP OFF, FALL OFF.
SO, IT WAS DANGEROUS
IF THERE HAPPENED TO BE SOMEBODY DOWN IN UNDER THERE
AT THE TIME THAT BIG BLOCKS OF ICE WOULD FALL.
THE ICE WOULD COME DOWN THE CHUTE.
THEY'D CATCH IT WITH ICE TONGS
AND SWING IT INTO PLACE.
AND SOMETIMES, THEY WOULD MISS THOSE CHUNKS OF ICE.
THEIR FEET WERE IN THE LINE OF THAT CHUNK OF ICE.
THERE HAD BEEN FELLOWS
THAT WOULD GET A CRUSHED ANKLE ONCE IN A WHILE.
Will: AT THAT TIME, CHILLING ICE BOXES WITH 80-POUND BLOCKS OF ICE
WAS THE ONLY WAY TO KEEP FOOD COLD
DURING WISCONSIN'S HOT SUMMER MONTHS.
AND IN LATE WINTER
THE MOSER BROTHERS' ICE BUSINESS SUPPLIED WAGES FOR LOCAL WORKERS
DURING THE DEPRESSION YEARS.
ALSO AT THAT TIME, ELECTRIFICATION PROJECTS
BROUGHT POWER TO RURAL WISCONSIN.
AND MODERN ELECTRIC REFRIGERATORS
CAME INTO USE.
ICE BOXES SOON WERE DISCARDED
AND THE MOSER ICE HOUSE WAS EVENTUALLY TORN DOWN.
THE POND DRIED UP.
AND EVEN THE SMALL TOWN OF FLORENCE
SLOWLY BEGAN TO DISAPPEAR.
BUT WILL AND GAYLORD MOSER
WILL ALWAYS HAVE FOND SUMMER MEMORIES
OF COOLING OFF IN THE ICE HOUSE
AFTER A LONG DAY OF FARM WORK.
KIDS WOULD GO IN THERE AND PLAY.
OR, ON A HOT DAY
WE'D DIG THE SAWDUST OFF FROM THE TOP LAYER
AND LAY DOWN ON THE ICE.
AND IT WAS SO NICE AND COOL.
Will: AND WILL HAS SPECIAL MEMORIES OF TRIPS WITH HIS DAD
WHEN THEY DELIVERED ICE TOGETHER
TO FARMS AND TOWNS ALONG THE LOWER WISCONSIN RIVER.
Will Moser: WE'D ALWAYS TAKE A LUNCH
OR BUY SOME SANDWICH MEAT OR SANDWICHES
AND EAT LUNCH AWAY FROM HOME.
AND I ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT WAS A BIG TREAT
TO EAT WITH MY DAD IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY.
Kmetz: WARM MEMORIES OF THE COLD ICE BUSINESS
CAN ALSO BE FOUND AT HOME.
RUBY LARSON HAS BEEN A LONGTIME MEMBER
OF THE McFARLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY, SOUTH OF MADISON.
RUBY, WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR EARLIEST MEMORIES OF ICE ?
SEEING THE TRUCK ON THE STREET WITH YOUNGSTERS FOLLOWING IT.
THEY LIKED TO PICK UP THE PIECES OF ICE
AND CHEW ON THEM OR SUCK ON THEM.
THEY DIDN'T WORRY ABOUT IT BEING LAKE ICE.
OF COURSE, THEY HAD TO RINSE THE STRAW OFF OF IT.
THE ICE WAS KEPT IN ICE HOUSES
AND THEY WERE COVERED WITH STRAW.
WERE YOU ONE OF THE KIDS THAT RAN AFTER THE TRUCK ?
NO. ( laughs )
Kmetz: RUBY MAY NEVER HAVE RUN AFTER THE ICE TRUCK
SHE HAS KEPT SOME WARM MEMORIES
ESPECIALLY, THE ICE CARD.
TELL ME ABOUT THIS, WOULD YOU ?
WELL, YOU WOULD DECIDE WHAT SIZE ICE YOU WANTED
AND YOU WOULD PUT IT IN YOUR WINDOW
WHERE THE TRUCK DRIVER COULD SEE IT.
THAT'S THE AMOUNT OF ICE HE WOULD MEASURE
AND BRING IN.
Kmetz: THE ICE MAN NEEDED PICKS AND CHISELS
BUT THE TOOL HE USED AT EVERY STOP
WAS A PAIR OF TONGS
THAT HELPED HIM CARRY THE BLOCK OF ICE INTO THE HOUSE.
THERE WE GO, SOME ICE, HUH ?
YES, ONLY THAT ONE DOESN'T MELT.
THAT'S NOT REAL ? NO.
SO, THIS IS WHERE THE ICE WENT.
THE ICE MAN PUT IT IN HIMSELF ? MM-HMM.
HE TRIMMED IT TO FIT.
AND OF COURSE, THERE WAS A PAN UNDERNEATH
UNDERNEATH THE WHOLE...
UNDER HERE IS A PAN. YES.
AND IF YOU DIDN'T REMEMBER TO EMPTY THAT
YOU HAD TO MOP YOUR FLOOR.
OH ! ( both laugh )
THAT WASN'T TOO HANDY.
HOW WELL DID IT KEEP FOOD, DO YOU THINK, THESE ICE BOXES ?
THAT WOULD DEPEND A LOT ON THE WEATHER, TOO.
BECAUSE, IF IT WAS REAL HOT, THE ICE WOULD MELT FASTER.
SO, IT WASN'T A PERFECT SOLUTION.
Kmetz: EVEN THOUGH IT WASN'T PERFECT
THE ICE BOX WAS QUITE AN INNOVATION
KEEPING MOST FOOD COOL AND CLOSE TO THE KITCHEN
BY HARNESSING THE LAKE'S FROZEN ASSET.
BACK IN THE DAYS OF ICE BOXES
THE STATE SET STANDARDS FOR ICE QUALITY.
BUT WHEN PEOPLE WANTED TO CHECK FOR CLEAN ICE
THEY SMELLED IT.
IF IT SMELLED BAD, IT WAS PROBABLY SOMETHING
YOU DIDN'T WANT NEXT TO YOUR FOOD.
AT THE TURN OF THE LAST CENTURY
PEOPLE HAD BEEN DUMPING GARBAGE AND SEWAGE INTO WATERWAYS.
AND SOME OF THE ICE SMELLED BAD.
SO, WHEN THE BIG CITIES NEEDED ICE
THEY TURNED TO INLAND LAKES, LIKE LAKE MENDOTA, HERE.
AND THEY NEEDED LOTS OF ICE
FOR CITIES LIKE MILWAUKEE AND CHICAGO.
SO, FOR A WHILE
WISCONSIN LAKE ICE WAS A REALLY BIG BUSINESS.
HI, WE'RE HERE AT MILLER BREWING COMPANY
AND I'M DOING HISTORY RESEARCH.
REALLY, I AM !
MANY PEOPLE HAVE HEARD
THAT IT'S BEER THAT'S MADE MILWAUKEE FAMOUS
BUT NOT MANY PEOPLE KNOW THAT IT WAS ICE
THAT MADE THAT POSSIBLE.
WE'VE COME HERE TO FIND OUT WHY.
TO CONTINUE OUR RESEARCH
WE HAVE TO GO UNDERGROUND, LITERALLY.
WE'RE GOING TO GO
TO THE ICE CAVES WHERE BEER WAS STORED
SO IT WOULDN'T SPOIL
BEFORE THERE WAS MECHANICAL REFRIGERATION.
HERE WE ARE IN THE ICE CAVES.
AND THIS IS AMAZING.
CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT IT ?
YEAH, I SURE CAN.
WHEN FREDERICK J. MILLER ARRIVED IN MILWAUKEE
IN THE 1850s
HE BROUGHT WITH HIM A GERMAN TRADITION
OF BREWING LAGER BEER.
AND HE USED THESE CAVES
TO BOTH BREW AND STORE HIS BEER.
NOW, WHY WOULD YOU NEED THE ICE CAVES TO MAKE BEER ?
THE KIND OF BEER THEY WERE MAKING
WAS LAGER BEER, WHICH WAS A BAVARIAN.
AND LAGER BEER REQUIRES COOLER TEMPERATURE
IN ORDER TO FERMENT.
EVEN THOUGH THE TEMPERATURE IS COOLER DOWN HERE, UNDERGROUND
IT'S NOT COOL ENOUGH TO FERMENT THE BEER.
SO, THEY WOULD HAVE HAD TO USE ICE
TO LOWER THE TEMPERATURE
AND THEN, TO ALSO PACK AROUND THE KEGS
TO KEEP THE BEER FROM SPOILING.
Kmetz: AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, IT TOOK MANY TONS OF ICE
TO SUPPLY THIS THIRSTY BUSINESS.
IN 1880, BREWERIES CONSUMED
A TOTAL OF THREE MILLION TONS OF ICE
MORE THAN ANOTHER OTHER INDUSTRY IN THE COUNTRY.
BUT, BEFORE LONG THE SOURCE OF ICE
NEAR THE MILWAUKEE BREWERIES
HAD BECOME SO POLLUTED THAT THEY HAD TO SEARCH INLAND.
ICE WAS HARVESTED AT MANY SPOTS IN THE STATE
BUT WASHINGTON, DANE AND WAUKESHA COUNTIES WERE IDEAL
AND PEWAUKEE LAKE PROVED TO BE ONE OF THE BEST.
PEWAUKEE, THOUGH
WAS THE SECOND LARGEST IN WISCONSIN.
MADISON WAS THE LARGEST
BUT WE LIKE TO THINK THAT THIS WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT.
Kmetz: BEST BREWERY, LATER KNOWN AS PABST
WAS THE FIRST TO SET UP SHOP ON PEWAUKEE LAKE, IN 1878
FOLLOWED BY FOUR MORE COMMERCIAL OPERATIONS
MOSTLY BUILT BY CHICAGO MEAT PACKERS.
AMOUR COMPANY, THE MEAT-PACKING GIANT
SOON BOUGHT OUT THE PABST ICE HOUSE.
AND WITH THEIR OTHER ICE HARVESTING OPERATIONS
BECAME THE LARGEST IN THE NATION.
Ken Steele: ONE OF REASONS THAT THIS DEVELOPED SO WELL
WAS THAT THE RAILROAD WAS RIGHT ADJACENT TO THE LAKE.
THE RAILROAD WAS VERY IMPORTANT.
Chuck Wescott: I DON'T THINK MOST PEOPLE THINK ABOUT ICE.
IT'S JUST SOMETHING THAT YOU PUSH A BUTTON
ON THE REFRIGERATOR
AND IT DROPS INTO YOUR GLASSES.
A LOT OF WORK WENT INTO THE ICE BUSINESS.
Kmetz: THE WORK OF ICE HARVESTING WAS SEASONAL.
EVEN THOUGH LOCAL FARMERS WELCOMED WINTER EMPLOYMENT
THERE WEREN'T ENOUGH PEOPLE IN THE PEWAUKEE AREA
TO HANDLE THE HARVEST.
Wescott: THEY HIRED AS MANY AS 600 PEOPLE
TO WORK THE ICE DURING HARVEST SEASON.
A NUMBER OF PEOPLE CAME OUT FROM MILWAUKEE.
I EVEN REMEMBER READING SOMEWHERE
THAT THE RESCUE MISSION WOULD HAVE PEOPLE COME FROM MILWAUKEE.
Kmetz: LAURETTA LARSON-WYELAND
THE DAUGHTER OF AN ICE HARVESTER, WROTE:
BURLAP SACKS WERE VERY MUCH IN DEMAND FOR FIVE CENTS
FROM LOCAL FEED DEALERS
TO BE WRAPPED 'ROUND THE FEET OF TRANSIENTS
AS THEY WORKED ON THE ICE."
IT WAS ONLY ONE OF THE DISCOMFORTS
FOUND IN THIS HARSH LINE OF WORK.
Steele: IT WAS REASONABLY COMMON THAT PEOPLE WOULD FALL IN.
THEY'D YELL "MAN IN THE WATER" OR "HORSE IN WATER."
AND WE'D COME RUNNING, GET THE PERSON OUT
AND WRAP HIM UP IN BLANKETS, TAKE HIM INTO LODGE HOUSE
AND GIVE HIM A SHOT OF WHISKEY.
Kmetz: LAURETTA LARSON-WYELAND
REMEMBERS WHAT HER FATHER WORE TO WORK AS AN ICE HARVESTER
A DAUNTING THOUGHT, CONSIDERING THE WEIGHT OF WOOL
AFTER A DUNK IN THE LAKE.
"MY FATHER WORE WOOLEN UNDERGARMENTS, A WOOL SHIRT
TWO PAIRS OF TROUSERS, A SHEEPSKIN JACKET
A LINED CORDUROY JACKET AND CAP
TWO PAIR OF WOOLEN SOCKS
KNEE-HIGH BOOTS WITH ICE CREEPERS ATTACHED
A PAIR OF WOOLEN GLOVES
INSIDE A PAIR OF FLEECE-LINED MITTS
AND A WOOLEN SCARF.
WHEN HE WAS TIRED AT THE END OF THE DAY
WE CHILDREN HELPED HIM
PULL THE OUTER LAYERS APART AND OFF."
Wescott: I WOULD IMAGINE IT COULD HAVE BEEN VERY DANGEROUS.
AND I DON'T THINK
THAT OSHA WOULD APPROVE MANY OF THESE THINGS NOW.
Kmetz: ADDING INSULT TO INJURY, THE PAY WAS MISERLY.
THE FIRST 30 YEARS, IN PEWAUKEE
THEY EARNED JUST A DOLLAR A DAY.
AND A CHILD WHO WOULD HELP
THAT CHILD WOULD BE PAID SEVEN CENTS AN HOUR.
THAT WAS A TEN OR 12-HOUR DAY.
HARD WORK, TOO.
Kmetz: BUT FOR THE OWNERS, ICE HELPED BUILD THEIR FORTUNES
THE NATURAL ICE BOOM
ON PEWAUKEE LAKE LASTED ALMOST 40 YEARS
UNTIL THE VAGARIES OF WINTER WEATHER
AND THE INCREASING RELIABILITY OF ARTIFICIAL REFRIGERATION
CONSPIRED TO CREATE IT'S DEMISE.
THE END OF THE ICE HOUSES THEMSELVES
PROVIDES AN IRONIC CONCLUSION TO OUR STORY.
Wescott: MOST OF THEM BURNT DOWN, BECAUSE THERE WAS LOT OF HAY.
THE HAY WAS A MAJOR INSULATOR.
THE WALLS WERE VERY THICK--
CARELESS SMOKING, LIGHTNING--
AND ONCE THEY STARTED ON FIRE
THERE WAS NOTHING MUCH YOU COULD DO ABOUT IT.
Kmetz: THE ARMOUR ICE HOUSE ON PEWAUKEE LAKE
BURNED IN JULY OF 1905.
FROM THAT POINT, UNTIL ABOUT THE END OF WORLD WAR I
NATURAL ICE WAS USED LESS AND LESS
BY THE MEAT PACKING INDUSTRY
AND BREWERIES, LIKE MILLER.
THE ICE INDUSTRY
PROVIDED A CONSIDERABLE ECONOMIC BOOST
TO THE SMALL RURAL TOWN OF PEWAUKEE.
AND EVEN AFTER IT'S DEMISE, IT HAD A POSITIVE EFFECT.
A NUMBER OF SUMMER RESORTS
HAD SPRUNG UP ALONG THE LAKESHORE
AND THE RAILROAD THAT ONCE TOOK ICE TO CHICAGO AND MILWAUKEE
NOW BROUGHT TOURISTS INTO TOWN.
AND AS FOR THE CITY WITH THE REPUTATION
AS "THE BEER CAPITAL OF THE WORLD"
WELL, NOW YOU KNOW THAT IT WAS ICE
THAT MADE THE BEER
THAT MADE MILWAUKEE FAMOUS.
AND NOW, BACK TO MY RESEARCH.
PROSIT !
Will: SKATING HAS A LONG, COMPETITIVE HISTORY IN WISCONSIN SPORTS
AS WE HAVE REASON TO BE PROUD OF OUR MANY ICE ATHLETES.
BUT IT WAS THE 1980 OLYMPIC HOCKEY TEAM
STARRING TWO OF MADISON'S FINEST
THAT BROUGHT THE ENTIRE NATION TO ITS FEET.
WITH YOUNG BOB SUTER PLAYING DEFENSE
AND MARK JOHNSON ON OFFENSE
THE TEAM SKATED AGAINST NONE OTHER
THAN THE SOVIET UNION'S PREMIER PLAYERS.
IN AN EMOTIONAL SEESAWING BATTLE
JOHNSON SLAPPED IN TWO GOALS
ADDING TO A SPECTACULAR 4-3 UPSET
WHICH WAS THEN FOLLOWED
BY HIS GAME-WINNING GOAL AGAINST FINLAND
AND OLYMPIC GOLD.
THE WORLD WAS STUNNED.
BUT THAT WASN'T THE LAST
OF THAT YEAR'S WISCONSIN WINNERS.
A YOUNG SOCCER PLAYER FROM MADISON
WOULD BECOME AN OLYMPIC LEGEND IN 1980
AFTER HE AND HIS SISTER, BETH
BEGAN TRAINING FOR SPEEDSKATING COMPETITION.
ERIC HEIDEN'S RIGOROUS EFFORTS
GAVE HIM A STRENGTH AND POWER
THAT QUICKLY PUT HIS NAME IN THE RECORD BOOKS--
AND ON THE LIPS OF A GROWING NUMBER OF SUPPORTERS.
SO, IT WAS OFF TO LAKE PLACID WITH HIGH EXPECTATIONS.
BETH HEIDEN SKATED WELL AND EARNED A BRONZE MEDAL.
TEAMMATE LEAH PAULOS-MUELLER, ALSO GAINED A SILVER.
BUT IT WAS ERIC HEIDEN
WHO'D WIN NOT JUST ONE AND TWO GOLD MEDALS
SMASHING THE WORLD AND OLYMPIC RECORDS
NOT ONLY THREE OR FOUR
LEAVING OTHER RECORD-HOLDERS IN HIS WAKE
BUT ERIC HEIDEN WON FIVE GOLD SPEEDSKATING MEDALS--
THE FIRST TIME ANYONE, IN ANY SPORT, IN ANY OLYMPICS
HAD WON FIVE INDIVIDUAL MEDALS
AS WELL AS ACCOLADES FROM AROUND THE WORLD.
BUT NO PLACE ELSE WERE THE CHEERS LOUDER
THAN AT MADISON'S CAMP RANDALL STADIUM
WHEN THE ATHLETES
RETURNED HOME TO A HERO'S WELCOME.
1980, A BANNER YEAR FOR WISCONSIN'S ICE OLYMPIANS.
BUT IT WOULDN'T BE THE LAST.
THE WORLD WOULD AGAIN LOOK TO WISCONSIN SKATERS IN 1988
WHEN BONNIE BLAIR STRUCK GOLD--
AND THEN AGAIN, IN 1992, AND AGAIN, IN 1994.
ORIGINALLY FROM CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS
BONNIED TRAINED AT THE PETIT ICE CENTER
TO BECOME THE FIRST FEMALE ATHLETE EVER TO WIN SIX MEDALS
ONE SILVER AND FIVE GOLD, BREAKING SPEED RECORDS
ALMOST EVERY TIME SHE STEPPED ON THE ICE.
AND IT WAS IN 1994
WHEN TEAMMATE DAN JANSEN TOUCHED THE WORLD.
AFTER A HEARTBREAKING FALL IN '92
GREENFIELD'S FAVORITE SON BECAME THE REAL COMEBACK KID
WINNING THE GOLD IN THE 1000-METER RACE.
LEAVING ONLY ONE QUESTION:
WILL THERE BE MORE ICE HEROES FROM WISCONSIN ?
THE ANSWER CAN ONLY BE YES.
UP AND COMING CASEY FITZRANDOLPH, FROM VERONA
SHOWS HE HAS HIS EYE ON BOTH INDIVIDUAL AND TEAM EVENTS.
AND A NEW OLYMPIC SPORT MAY BRING WISCONSIN MORE FAME.
CURLING WAS FIRST ACCEPTED FOR OLYMPIC COMPETITION IN 1988
BUT IT MAY BE THE MADISON WOMEN'S CLUB
WHO WILL PUT US IN THE RECORD BOOKS
AS THEY SET THEIR SIGHTS ON THE 2002 WINTER GAMES.
GOOD LUCK AND MANY THANKS TO ALL WISCONSIN'S OLYMPIANS ON ICE.
Man: FLAG IS UP !
GO !
Will: ON A CRISP WINTER DAY
YOU MAY CATCH A GLIMPSE
OF ONE OF THE OLDEST COMPETITIVE SPORTS
STILL PRACTICED IN WISCONSIN.
ICEBOATS HAVE FLOWN ACROSS WISCONSIN LAKES SINCE THE 1800s.
AND THE RACING FERVOR IS AS STRONG TODAY AS EVER.
SLEEK, MODERN BOATS SCREAM ALONG
AT SPEEDS OF 100 MILES PER HOUR, AND MORE.
THEY'RE THE RESULT OF GENERATIONS OF DESIGNERS
BUILDERS AND RACERS, LIKE BILL MATTISON
WHO'S BEEN SAILING ACROSS WISCONSIN ICE SINCE THE 1930s.
Bill Mattison: IT'S THE MOST FICKLE SPORT IN THE WHOLE WORLD.
FIRST OF ALL, YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE TEMPERATURE.
YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE LACK OF SNOW.
AND THEN, YOU NEED THE WIND.
THEN, IF IT'S UNREASONABLY COLD, YOU CAN'T GO
BECAUSE YOU CAN'T EVEN BREATHE GOING 100 MILES AN HOUR.
THEN, YOU NEED THE ICE AFTER ALL THAT.
Will: AND WISCONSIN HAS THE ICE.
LAKES HERE USUALLY FREEZE EARLY, STAY FROZEN ALL WINTER
AND IN AREAS
HAVE LITTLE SNOW COVER.
THIS MAKES MEDIUM-SIZED LAKES IN PLACES LIKE PEWAUKEE
LAKE GENEVA, OSHKOSH AND MADISON
IDEAL FOR THE SPORT.
BROUGHT TO THE U.S. BY THE DUTCH
WHO SETTLED IN THE HUDSON RIVER VALLEY OF NEW YORK STATE
ICEBOATING QUICKLY BECAME A SPORT OF THE WEALTHY.
IT THEN SPREAD TO THE MIDWEST AND CANADA.
BY THE 1870s, THE FOUR LAKES AT MADISON
BECAME A MECCA FOR ICEBOATERS.
WHILE MANY SMALLER BOATS DOTTED THE ICE
IT WAS THE MAJESTIC STERN STEERERS
THAT DOMINATED THE RACING SCENE.
GRACEFUL AND MASSIVE, THESE THOROUGHBREDS OF THE ICE
NEEDED A CREW OF TWO OR THREE TO SAIL THEM.
THE BIGGER, COMPETITIVE BOATS
THEY COULD GO AS HIGH AS $50,000 OR $60,000.
SOME OF THEM WERE HUMONGOUS.
IT TOOK FREIGHT CARS TO MOVE THEM.
Will: BUILT FOR SPEED
THESE ICE YACHTS RAN IN NUMEROUS RACES
AND REGATTAS.
ICE YACHT CLUBS SPRANG UP THROUGHOUT THE STATE
AND WITH THEM, FIERCE RIVALRIES THAT CONTINUE TO THIS DAY.
IN THE QUEST FOR FASTER BOATS, NEW DESIGNS BEGAN TO APPEAR.
Mattison: CARL BERNARD WAS VERY INSTRUMENTAL IN THE DEVELOPMENT
OF THE MADISON STYLE BOATS.
THERE WERE TONS OF THOSE HERE.
THEY WERE MADE OUT OF, BASICALLY, TIMBERS--
SOLID TIMBERS.
THEY HAD BRIDGE PLANKS ACROSS 'EM
WHICH WAS ANOTHER PLANK THAT WENT OVER THE RUNNER PLANK
SO IT DIDN'T BOTTOM OUT.
AND THEN, IT HAD A BASKET IN THE BACK
WHERE YOU SAT WITH THE TILLER.
THE GUY USUALLY THREW HIS LEG UP OVER THE TILLER
TO STEER THE THING
SO HE WOULDN'T GET EJECTED TOO QUICK.
SOME OF THEM WEIGHED LIKE TWO TONS.
THAT WAS BASICALLY MY FIRST RIDE ON ONE.
THE BIG OLD GUYS
THEY NEEDED BALLAST ON THE RUNNER PLANK.
YOU'D STAND ON THE END OF IT AND HOLD ONTO THE STAY.
OH, YEAH ? DID YOU EVER FALL OFF ?
MORE THAN ONCE.
DIDN'T THINK MUCH OF IT.
IT DIDN'T STOP YOU ? NO, NO.
IN FACT, YOU FORGET ABOUT IT
'CAUSE YOU'RE BACK ICEBOATING TWO MINUTES AFTER.
Will: BUT THE STERN STEERERS WEREN'T ALONE.
THEY SHARED THE ICE WITH MANY SMALLER, HOMEMADE BOATS.
Mattison: ALMOST EVERY HOUSE HAD ONE OF THEM IN THEIR BACK YARD
THAT LIVED ON THE LAKES OR THEREABOUTS.
I MEAN, I REMEMBER GROWING UP
AND THERE'D BE 20 BOATS
PARKED OUT AT THE END OF THE STREET WHERE I LIVED.
YOU COULD NEVER AFFORD TO BUY ONE.
IN YOUR YOUNGER DAYS, YOU'D BUILD TWO AND THREE A DAY.
THEY WERE TWO-BY-FOURS AND CLAMP SKATES.
AS THEY GOT SOPHISTICATED
AND AS WE GOT A LITTLE BETTER AT IT
THEY JUST EVOLVED.
EVERY YEAR, YOU'D COME UP WITH A NEW LITTLE WRINKLE.
Will: "NEW LITTLE WRINKLES" INCLUDED CHANGES IN DESIGN.
AND AFTER WORLD WAR II
NEW SYNTHETIC MATERIALS ALLOWED BUILDERS, LIKE MATTISON
TO CREATE BOATS THAT WERE LIGHTER, SMALLER
AND MOST IMPORTANT, FASTER.
THESE NEW STREAMLINED RACERS
SOON REPLACED THE STERN STEERERS AS THE CHAMPIONS OF SPEED.
MANY STERN STEERERS TOOK ON NEW LIVES AS PLEASURE BOATS
LIKE THE ONE PURCHASED
BY PENNY AND WALLY WILLIAMS OF PEWAUKEE.
I WAS BORN AND RAISED IN MILWAUKEE
AND DIDN'T HAVE THE FOGGIEST IDEA OF WHAT AN ICEBOAT WAS.
MY HUSBAND WAS VERY FAMILIAR WITH ICEBOATS
AND WAS VERY ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT THEM.
I GOT MARRIED IN JANUARY, 1949.
AND WHEN I CAME OUT HERE, I THOUGHT
"OH, THAT'S WHAT AN ICEBOAT IS !"
OUR BOAT WAS NAMED THE TUSKAROWA.
THE BOAT ITSELF WAS 34-FEET LONG.
THE MAIN MAST WAS 19-FEET HIGH.
IT HAD CLOSE TO 300-SQUARE-FEET OF SAIL.
I THINK WE PAID ONLY $35 FOR IT.
IT LOOKED LIKE FUN.
AND I WAS IN LOVE, AND I TRUSTED HIM.
I DIDN'T THINK HE WOULD DO ANYTHING
THAT WOULD WRACK ME UP TOO BADLY.
I PUT MY TRUST IN HIM AND WENT OUT.
AFTER THAT HAPPENED, I WAS COMPLETELY HOOKED.
IT IS THE MOST THRILLING THING THAT I CAN IMAGINE.
YOU GO FOUR TIMES THE SPEED OF THE WIND.
WHAT YOU DO, HERE
IS THE RUNNER IS CUTTING THROUGH THE ICE.
THE RUNNER PLANK THROWS UP ICE
AND YOU GET LITTLE ICE CHIPS IN YOUR FACE.
AND YOU FEEL SOMETHING LIKE A BIRD.
YOU FEEL SO FREE
THAT IT'S JUST THE THRILL OF A LIFETIME.
Will: PENNY LAST REPEATED THIS THRILL IN THE LATE 1990s
WHEN SHE WENT OUT ON ANOTHER RIDE
ACROSS ICY PEWAUKEE LAKE.
BILL MATTISON CONTINUES TO BUILD
AND RACE HIS SERIES OF BOATS
NAMED HONEYBUCKET
AND HAS WON MULTIPLE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
AND UNTOLD INDIVIDUAL RACES.
BUT BOTH AGREE, RIDE ONCE IN AN ICEBOAT
AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU WILL NEVER FORGET.
Mattison: IT'S WORTH IT.
ONE RIDE-- YOU ASK ANY ICEBOATER
AND THEY'LL SAY ONE RIDE, AND IT'S WORTH ALL OF THE EFFORT
THAT YOU PUT INTO IT.
MAKING THE BOAT AND THE EXPENSE OF THE BOAT--
IT'S JUST THAT TYPE OF SPORT.
Williams: I THINK EVERYBODY SHOULD TRY IT ONCE IN THEIR LIFE.
Will: WISCONSIN LAKE ICE OFFERS LOTS OF WINTER RECREATION.
Kmetz: IT'S A LITTLE CHANCY OUT THERE FOR ICE FISHING TODAY
WHAT WITH THE WEATHER WARMING UP.
Will: WHEN THAT ICE GETS SOFT, THAT'S A SURE SIGN
OF CHANGING SEASONS IN WISCONSIN.
SO, FOR A CHANGE
WE THOUGHT WE'D END TODAY'S ICE SAGA
WITH AN ICE BREAKER, SO TO SPEAK.
A PHOTO ESSAY FROM UP NORTH WHERE THE FERRY RUNS
BETWEEN THE VILLAGE OF BAYFIELD AND MADELINE ISLAND.
WHEN THE ICE STARTS TO SOFTEN
A FERRYBOAT WITH A REINFORCED HULL
PLOWS ITS WAY THROUGH THE CHANNEL
A SURE SIGN OF SPRING.
AND A WELCOME ONE AFTER A WISCONSIN WINTER.
SOMETHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO.
WE HOPE YOU LOOK FORWARD TO NEXT WEEK'S WISCONSIN STORIES.
SEE YOU THEN.
Phil Schneeberger: THIS IS MY 32nd YEAR
AS A CAPTAIN.
THIS BOAT, THE ISLAND QUEEN
IS THE BEST BOAT
THAT WE HAVE FOR BREAKING ICE.
THE HULL IS DESIGNED
THAT IT WILL CLIMB UP ON TOP OF THE ICE
AND CRUSH THE ICE DOWN.
IT'S A SLOW PROCESS, BUT IT SLOWLY AND EVENTUALLY
GETS ACROSS THE THREE MILES THAT IT HAS TO TRAVEL.
THIS BOAT IS MADE OUT OF STEEL
SO IT'S EASIER FOR IT TO GO THROUGH THE ICE
WITHOUT GETTING HURT.
JUST ABOUT EVERY TRIP IS DIFFERENT.
YOU MEET DIFFERENT PEOPLE.
YOU HAVE DIFFERENT CONDITIONS.
I KIND OF RELATE IT TO ANOTHER CHAPTER IN A BOOK--
EVERY CHAPTER IS INTERESTING.
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.