 History of the "Wild West" Program at History Room Feb. 25 When one hears the words “Old West,” several images spring to mind... Click here for more
"How to Use This Search Engine" Online Tutorial
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History of the "Wild West" Program at History Room Feb. 2502/18/2010When one hears the words “Old West,” several images spring to mind. From cowboys to Native Americans to gunslingers to saloon girls, people around the globe have a definite and largely shared vision of the West. But this image is not based on the purely historical realities of the lives of people who lived in the nineteenth-century West. Mass media and popular culture have shaped our understanding of the “Old West” through literature, stage, film, radio, and television. While this image is often steeped in myth, the myth itself has become important and helps Americans define who they are, or at least who they wish they could be. Dr. John T. Grider, Professor of History at UW-La Crosse, will give a presentation on the “‘Old West’-Media Myths and Historical Realities” at the Monroe County Local History Room on Thursday, February 25th at 7pm. The Local History Room is located at 200 West Main St., Sparta, in the former Masonic Temple building. Free admission. Call 608-269-8680 for more information. "How to Use This Search Engine" Online Tutorial02/17/2010New on the LHR website www.MCLHR.org is a short video tutorial about how to best use the search engine on the website. Be sure to check it out (it's only 6 minutes long) as you may learn tips or tricks with getting results when researching using the "Library & Genealogy Quick Search Box." http://www.monroecountyhistory.org/ Important notice about Historic Image Search01/29/2010We've just fixed the Search Function for the Historic Image & Photo search. Before this fix was made, many of the people in the 6000 historic images on our website www.MCLHR.org were unidentified. We're pleased to announce that the names have been re-attached to the photos! Try typing the names of your ancestors in the search engine again. You may have better luck in your search. We apologize for this error. http://www.monroecountyhistory.org/images.php NEW Index Available—LHR Archival Catalog01/18/2010The Monroe County Local History Room team has been cataloging the thousands of paper artifacts in its collection for the past several years. These paper items, from diaries to historic maps, were only available to search using the computer catalog at the Local History Room. We are excited to report that thousands of these cataloged items are now available to search using the Monroe County Local History Room website. Just type a keyword or name in the “Keyword” box of the “Library & Genealogy Quick Search” box to search this collection. Items cataloged in this database include: family histories, diaries, business records, vintage catalogs, invitations, greeting cards, maps, ephemera, civic and fraternal group records, and so much more! 6000 Historic Images Now Online01/18/2010The "Historic Image & Photo Archive" on this website just grew by several thousand pictures! Be sure to search it thoroughly for historic images of Monroe County people, cities, villages, events, buildings, landmarks, businesses, disasters, homes, schools, and so much more. Just plug in the name or search term in the "Keywords" box. High-quality prints are available to order, starting at only $3.00. http://mclhr.org/photosearch.php Newspaper & Census Indexes updated & More!12/29/2009The Volunteers and Staff of the Local History Room have been busy and are proud to announce the following updates to our website: >Newspaper index has grown by over 26,000 entries, including thousands more from the Sparta Herald (1854-1969), the Norwalk Star (1903-1933), Cashton Record (1900-1914), and for the first time the Kendall news from the Elroy Tribune (1881-1888). >Index to inmates at the Wisconsin State School in Sparta during the following years: 1900, 1905, 1910, 1920, 1930 >1910 Census is now complete and features EVERY NAME recorded on the original census >More years have been added to the Business Directory Index >Inventories to several small Monroe Co. cemeteries have been added to the online index. With all of these updates to the website—BE SURE TO SEARCH FOR YOUR ANCESTORS AGAIN! St. Mary's Ridge Cemetery Burial List Update11/09/2009Many of you have already used this website's cemetery index to locate the burial place of an ancestor who died before ca. 1980. For those of you wanting a complete list of burials at the St. Mary's Ridge cemetery, please check out the following link, unconnected to the Local History Room, but of interest to our patrons: --Burials at Saint Mary's Ridge Catholic Cemetery, Cashton WI (about 700 -- some have no markers). http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&CRid=2175635&CScn=Saint+Mar ys+Ridge&CScntry=4&CSst=51&CScnty=3033& The gentleman who created this updated list would also like to make known the following websites for sharing family info: --Herman RICHTER "GEDCOM" file (data about many pioneers and their families from Monroe and Barron counties). http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~wimonroe/history/family/Richter-2.html --Genealogy (Monroe Co. & Barron Co. & more): families such as SCHIEFFER, WEIBEL, LIERFELD, KREUSER, SCHMIDT, SCHREIER, BAUS, SCHOTTEN, BRUEGGEN, RICHTER, etc... www.KUHMANN.com Haunted Sparta Book now available10/26/2009Heard any good ghost stories lately? Local author Joe Cook has, and he compiled those spooky stories into a book titled “The Haunting of Sparta: Mysteries In A Small Town.” Arriving just in time for Halloween, the Local History Room recently received several copies of “The Haunting of Sparta.” The back cover of the book provides a glimpse into what the reader might find within: “Every small town has its mysteries, old sturctures that captivate passersby from one generation to the next. ‘The Haunting of Sparta’ explores the intriguing possibilities that some things in life are unexplaniable.” To purchase a copy, please send a check to the History Room for $16.96 ($14.95 plus $2.00 s/h) to "Local History Room, 200 West Main St., Sparta, WI 54656." “The Haunting of Sparta” is 101 pages long and contains numerous black and white images. Copies of this book are available to purchase for $14.95 during normal office hours. New Genealogy Books Added to Gift Shop09/04/2009Several new useful printed indexes and research books are now available through the MCLHR Gift Shop. Just click on the "Gift Shop & Resources" button on the left of this page and you'll find over a dozen newly listed publications provided by the Monroe/Juneau/Jackson Genealogical Club, a sister organization to the Local History Room. One item of note is the NEW publication, "Index to Monroe County Deaths: 1907-1968." Tell Us What You Think! Feedback Button Added09/04/2009We've just added a new function to this website--the ability for you, our web user, to give us your feedback on the website. We want to know what you think about the site. What about the website do you appreciate? What can make it better? Any great finds about your ancestors from using this site? We want to know! Just click the yellow "Give Feedback" button found under the "Quick Search" box. Help us make this website the best research tool possible for finding YOUR Monroe County ancestors. 1951 Sparta Centennial Parade now on DVD08/14/2009Available for the first time on DVD is the 1951 film documenting Sparta’s monumental Centennial Parade. Revisit Sparta of yesterday by watching this vintage film taken of the 1951 Centennial Parade in Sparta. Enjoy the nostalgia as you view dozens of floats rolling down Water Street, each one sponsored by a local business or organization. In full color and narrated by WKLJ personality Bill Erin. Any fan of Sparta will enjoy this wonderfully preserved film available for the first time. This DVD includes bonus insert listing all parade entrants and special reprint of a Sparta newspaper article recapping the parade. This historic film was originally shot on 16 mm film as a project sponsored by the Sparta Chamber of Commerce. The film was transferred to DVD and copies were made in 2009 in a preservation project sponsored by the Monroe County Local History Room with assistance from Jay Choutka of the Gundersen Lutheran Medical Media Department. The Centennial Parade is one of two films preserved on DVD. The second film, “The History of Sparta: A Sesquicentennial Celebration, 1851-2001,” is a video created by the Sparta Sesquicentennial Committee in 2001 in recognition of the city’s 150th birthday. Over 1 hour long, this historical retrospective of Sparta features memorable historic images and insightful commentary about Monroe County’s Seat. Copies of this double-feature DVD are available to purchase through this website for $14.95 each. Just click the "Gift Shop & Resources" tab. 1915 Monroe County Plat Book now indexed!02/26/2009Search for your ancestor’s name in this plat book, along with the 1877, 1897, and 1948 plat book using the “Library & Genealogy Quick Search Box.” DEATH RECORDS now available thru this site!02/26/2009This website now has an index of deaths registered with the Monroe County Register of Deeds that occurred 1850s to 1907. This index was created by the Monroe-Juneau-Jackson Genealogical Workshop (MJJGW). You can search it in the “Library & Genealogy Quick Search Box.” New Workstation Arrives!12/15/2008The Local History Room Library now has a new workstation for the Minolta Microfilm reader/printer thanks to cookbook purchases and donations from the Monroe-Juneau-Jackson-Genealogical Workshop. The workstation replaces an old, green metal table that served as a make-shift workstation. LHR has been selling cookbooks created and donated by the Monroe County Title Company of Sparta since April 2008 to raise money for the workstation. 100% of all cookbook sales went toward the purchase of this new microfilm reader workstation, raising $200.00. The remaining $150.00 needed to pay for the workstation came from the Monroe Juneau Jackson Genealogical Workshop. MJJGW had received memorial money contributed on behalf of the late Gerald Thiemke and Geri Schlosser. Both were closely associated with MJJGW and the Local History Room for many years. Additional contributions to the workstation came from a number of MJJGW members. The Local History Room thanks everyone who purchased a cookbook, along with the Monroe County Title Company of Sparta and MJJGW, for improving the research library through the purchase of this workstation. The microfilm readers are available for patron use during normal library hours and can be used to view microfilmed documents, records, and newspapers. Cookbooks are still available to purchase at $10.00 each. 100% of cookbook sales go toward research material acquisitions. Website UPDATED12/02/2008The following indexes have been recently updated: >Newspaper index has grown by 20,000 entries, including thousands more from the Sparta Herald (1854-1969), the Norwalk Star (1903-1924), and for the first time the Cashton Record (1900-1908). >Monroe County Plat Books: 1948 added to 1877, 1897 >Monroe County Business Directories: Sparta Directories now cover 1875-1976; Tomah covers 1915-1960; plus County Gazetteers from 1894-1910. *As always, you can search for your ancestors in these indexes using the “Library & Genealogy Quick Search” box. PLUS: over 200 Historic Images added of Monroe County people, places, & events to the online photo collection, searchable at: www.MCLHR.org/images.php NEW Fort McCoy Pictorial History Book05/12/2008Interested in Fort McCoy history? Have any relatives that worked or trained there? The new book “Images of America: Fort McCoy” features 128 pages of Fort McCoy photos, maps, and illustrations documenting the important military landmark for nearly a century. The book is available through the Local History Room for $19.99 each. From the days of the horse-drawn caisson to today’s Humvee, Fort McCoy has played a vital role in the military readiness of America’s armed forces. The only federal military installation within the state of Wisconsin, Fort McCoy has seen more than five million military personnel from throughout the United States pass through its gates since its founding in 1909. Fort McCoy exists today primarily because its founder, Maj. Gen. Robert B. McCoy, foresaw that the U.S. Army would need a regional site at which to train and maneuver and then dedicated himself to making that vision a reality. Fort McCoy’s mission of supporting training and mobilization has remained constant from those early days on the McCoy ranch to the current global War on Terror. This book chronicles the illustrious history of Fort McCoy from the doughboys of World War I to today’s soldiers supporting Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. [paragraph taken from book’s back cover] Copies of the book are available to purchase through the Local History Room for $19.99 each. Please send $19.99 plus $3.00 s/h for each copy to: Local History Room 200 West Main St. Sparta, WI 54656 Call 608-269-8680 for more information. Ft. McCoy book cover Recipe Book Sales Fund Microfilm Workstation04/10/2008The Local History Room is excited to announce a new opportunity to update library equipment. On sale now are new cookbooks created by Monroe County Title Company of Sparta. 100% of all cookbook sales goes toward the purchase of a new microfilm reader workstation! Help us replace ill-fitting library furniture through the purchase of a Monroe County Cookbook. An appropriate workstation would improve user comfort and better utilize library space. The recipe book contains 70 pages of delicious recipes contributed by Monroe County residents. To order your cookbook, send your name, address, and $12.00 for every copy you would like ($10 for the book and $2 postage) to: Local History Room 200 West Main St. Sparta, WI 54656 The patrons, volunteers, and staff of the Local History Room thank you! cook book.jpg New Indexes are here! Plat Maps, Naturalizations! More!02/01/2008The Monroe County Newspaper index has grown by 15,000 entries, including thousands from the Sparta Herald, Monroe County Democrat, and for the first time, the Norwalk Star newspaper (1907-1912). New Indexes added: --Monroe County Plat Maps: 1877, 1897 --Monroe County Naturalization Records --Monroe County Business Directory Index You'll be able to search for your ancestors in these indexes using the Library & Genealogy Quick Search Box. HISTORIC BIKE TRAIL FILM AVAILABLE ON DVD12/10/2007Available for the first time on DVD is the 1967 film "Elroy-Sparta Bike Trail: The Old Railroad Trail.” Take a visual tour of the Elroy-Sparta Bike Trail when it first opened 40 years ago. "Elroy-Sparta Bike Trail: The Old Railroad Trail” was created by Don Goodman for the Monroe County UW Extension in 1967 to promote the nation’s first rails-to-trails bicycle trail, running from Sparta to Elroy. This 15 minute, color film takes the viewer on a nostalgic tour of the bike trail from Elroy to Sparta and all points in between, including stops in Wilton, Kendall, and Norwalk. The city of Tomah, Monroe County cranberry country, Mill Bluff State Park and Wildcat Mountain State Park are also promoted in the film. Tomah radio announcer Del Lunquist narrates the film. Railroad history buffs will appreciate catching glimpses of remnants of the former Chicago Northwestern Railroad that have long since disappeared. This historic film was originally shot on 16 mm film but was transferred to DVD in 2006 in a preservation project sponsored by the Monroe County Local History Room. Copies of the DVD are available to purchase through the Local History Room for $12.50 each. Please send $12.50 plus $2.00 s/h for each copy to: Local History Room, 200 West Main St., Sparta, WI 54656. Call 608-269-8680 for more information. Index update12/03/2007The Naturalization Records Index slated for posting at the end of November has been delayed because...we are making it even better! It was originally going to be an index of Monroe County Petitions for Naturalization and some Declarations of Intent, but a new Local History Room volunteer has come forward to transcribe the names from the Monroe County Certificate of Naturalizations! These names will be added to what will be known as "Naturalization Records Index." We hope to have this and more posted to this website in January 2008. Civil War Vet Census Index Added09/24/2007This NEW index contains a listing of Monroe County Civil War Veterans who either served in Wisconsin organizations (ie. regiments) or of other states living in Monroe County. Census years include: 1885, 1890, 1895, 1905. Use the "Library & Genealogy Quick Search" function to search this new database! Monroe County Biographical Index Added09/24/2007This database is an index of biographies written for notable Monroe County citizens that were published in 19th and early 20th century books. Without this master index, one would have to peruse several books and risk missing some genealogical gold. Use the "Library & Genealogy Quick Search" function to search this new database! John F. Kennedy at Tomah VA photo available08/20/2007Senator John F. Kennedy passed through Tomah and Sparta in March of 1960 while he was campaigning for the presidency. This wonderful photograph was taken of JFK speaking in the Tomah Veteran Hospital's canteen on March 9, 1960. If you would like to order a copy of this print, you may request one through the mail. Prices are $6.00 for a 5x7 and $9.00 for an 8x10. Please include $3.00 for shipping/handling. Mail payment to: Local History Room 200 West Main St. Sparta, WI 54656 JFK at Tomah VA Over 450 Historic Images Added to This Website!07/05/2007The "Historic Image & Photo Archive" on this website just grew by several hundred pictures. Be sure to search it thoroughly for historic images of Monroe County people, cities, villages, events, buildings, landmarks, businesses, disasters, homes, schools, and so much more. Just plug in the name or search term in the "Keywords" box. http://www.monroecountyhistory.org/photosearch.php Newspaper Index updated!06/20/2007Our Newspaper Index just grew by thousands of entries. The Newspaper Index on this website now includes the EARLIEST surviving Sparta newspapers: 1859-1860s (non-consecutive), and the Tomah newspapers from 1910-1919. Be sure to search your surnames again! History of Elroy-Sparta Bike Trail Program May 7th at LHR04/24/2007For those of you in driving distance to Sparta... Join us for our Evening Program 7pm May 7th: "From Rails to Trails: Recalling the Origins of the Elroy Sparta Bike Trail" An evening of reminiscing about Monroe County’s famed Bike Trail, its history and impact on Monroe County. Featuring a special viewing of the 1967 Elroy-Sparta Bike Trail promotional film: "The Old Railroad Trail." FREE Presentation; 7:00pm Monday, May 7, 2007 Monroe County Local History Room & Museum, 200 W. Main St.,Sparta, WI For More Info Call: 608-269-8680 Warrens & Valley Junction Newspapers Added to Newspaper Index03/22/2007Our huge, online Newspaper Index just grew by merging with it an index to Warrens and Valley Junction WI newspapers (1898-1901). Added to the Newspaper Index are 1700 news items indexed from the Warrens Index (WI), Valley Junction Settler (VJS), and the Valley Junction Advocate (VA). The articles indexed here mostly include birth, death, and marriage notices. Find out if your ancestors are listed in any articles indexed from these newspapers by searching for them in the "Library and Genealogy Quick Search" box. March 15th Program at LHR on How to Date Old Photos03/08/2007For those of you that are not too far from Sparta, we hope you can make it to the Local History Room Thursday, March 15th at 7pm for what is sure to be an interesting program. Ed Hill, former Special Collections Librarian at Murphy Library, UW-La Crosse, will give a presentation on the history of photography and how to date old photographs. Mr. Hill will provide a brief history of photography, beginning with the daguerreotype, and discuss the evolution of techniques and styles. He will also provide clues on the dating of photos, clothing styles, photo imprints and cases, and the culture of the formal portrait. He will also discuss the importance of "association;" that is, the absolute importance of keeping together things that have stored together. Breaking up albums or collections is risky. The fact that two or three images have been filed together in an album or a letter is a vital clue to their association. This proximity is important. As time permits, Mr. Hill will discuss briefly how to store and care for photographs, and the significance of changing technology, especially digital photography, in taking and storing contemporary images. Sound interesting? Be sure to join us Thursday, March 15th at 7pm at the Local History Room. The Local History Room has its own web site!02/12/2007For the first time ever, your Monroe County Local History Room has its own web site. Be sure to check out each section of the web site to get the most from this valuable online resource. Historic photographs available online now02/12/2007A selection of historic Monroe County photographs are available to view and purchase on this web site. We'll be adding more historic images to the online library periodically, so be sure to check back often. http://www.monroecountyhistory.org/images.php |
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