Warriors, Saints, and Scoundrels: Brief Portraits of Real People Who Shaped Wisconsin

by Michael Edmonds, Samantha Snyder

Overview

A governor who saw ghosts, an incorrigible horse thief, a husband and wife who each stood over seven feet tall, an American Indian chief who defied forced removal, and the first woman to practice law before the Supreme Court: these are just some of the remarkable characters whose lives influenced and defined the state of Wisconsin. Authors Michael Edmonds and Samantha Snyder plumbed the depths of the Wisconsin Historical Society’s collections to research and compose lively portraits of eighty of these notable individuals: mayors, ministers, mystics, murderers, and everything in between. Each story is followed by recommended sources for readers’ continued exploration. Whether read on the fly or all in one sitting, these short, colorful narratives will intrigue and inform as you delve into Wisconsin’s diverse and diverting history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780870207938
Publisher:	Wisconsin Historical Society
Publication date:	04/14/2017
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	219
File size:	9 MB

About the Author

Between 2006 and 2015, Michael Edmonds wrote more than 500 "Odd Wisconsin" sketches for a syndicated weekly newspaper column. He is the author of two award-winning books from the Wisconsin Historical Society Press, Out of the Northwoods: The Many Lives of Paul Bunyan and Risking Everything: A Freedom Summer Reader, and has written several articles for the Wisconsin Magazine of History and other journals.

Samantha Snyder is a two-time graduate of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, most recently completing her Masters in Library and Information Studies from the UW School of Library and Information Studies in May 2015. She currently lives in Washington, DC and works as a reference librarian at the US Patent and Trademark Office. This is her first book.

Table of Contents

Contents Preface Artists and Writers 1. James Gates Percival (1795–1856), Forgotten Poet-Scientist 2. Vinnie Ream Hoxie (1847–1914), Woman Who Sculpted Lincoln 3. Reverend Mathias Wernerus (1873–1931), Artist-Priest of the Dickeyville Grotto 4. Bernice Stewart (1894–1975), Paul Bunyan’s Savior 5. Lorine Niedecker (1903–1970), Wisconsin’s Emily Dickinson Lawyers and Politicians 6. William Clark Frazier (1776–1838), Milwaukee’s Ill-Tempered First Judge 7. Nelson Dewey (1813–1889), Wisconsin’s Eccentric First Governor 8. Arthur McArthur (1815–1896), Governor for Four Days 9. Isaac Van Schaick (1817–1901), Congressman with Gold Teeth 10. Edward Scofield (1842–1925), Governor Voted Out Over a Cow 11. Victor Berger (1860–1929), Congressman Who Opposed WWI 12. Emil Seidel (1864 –1947), America’s First Socialist Mayor 13. Daniel Hoan (1881–1961), Working-Class Hero Hunters, Fishermen, and Hermits 14. O-cha-own (ca. 1710–1790), Ojibwe Hunter 15. William Wilson (1792–1861), Apostle Islands Hermit 16. Chief Little Pipe (1788–1895), Best Shot in Wisconsin 17. Oliver Armel (1798–1870), Madison Fur Trader 18. Dan Gagen (1834–1908), North Woods Pioneer and Contented Recluse 19. Joe Marden (1835–1909), Door County Hotelier and Wildcat Wrestler 20. “Pickerel Billy” (1847–1925), Renowned Guide and Fisherman 21. Tom Towner (1849–1923), Happy Hermit of the Marshes Thieves and Murderers 22. The Fighting Finches (1830s–1850s), Brawlers of the Wisconsin Frontier 23. Charles Agrelius (1831–1915), Incorrigible Horse Thief 24. Andrew Grandstaff (1864–1888), Brutal Murderer of the Kickapoo Valley 25. Henry Dickert (dates unknown), Jilted Bomber Innovators and Entrepreneurs 26. John Lawe (1780–1846), Wealthy Trader and Fearless River Runner 27. Julius McCabe (1785–1849), Compiler of Milwaukee’s First Directory 28. Queen Marinette (1793–1865), Woman Fur Trader in a Man’s World 29. Stephen Bonga (1799–1884), Black Voyageur of the North Woods 30. Agoston Haraszthy (1812–1869), Sauk City Pioneer and Father of California Wine 31. Mary Ann McVane (1832–unknown), Strong Woman Among Lumberjacks 32. Peter McGeoch (1833–1895), Milwaukee Investor Who Blew His Fat Chance 33. Reverend John W. Carhart (1834–1914), Father of the Automobile 34. Nicholas Gerber (1835–1903), Cheesemonger Who Created the Dairy State 35. William B. Pearl (1836–1914), Original Devil’s Lake Promoter 36. Willard Standish (1845–1938), Elderly Windmill Climber Missionaries, Mystics, and Mediums 37. Father René Ménard (1605–1660), First Missionary to Wisconsin 38. Father Louis Nicolas (1634–ca. 1701), Curious Priest-Turned-Scientist 39. Nathaniel Tallmadge (1795–1864), Territorial Governor and Spiritualist 40. Francois Soubrie (dates unknown), Hermit of Holy Hill 41. Martin Rowney (dates unknown), Soldier Carried Off by the Devil 42. James Strang (1813–1856), King of Lake Michigan’s Beaver Island 43. Reverend David Van Slyke (1818–1890), Minister Who Argued Eden Was in Wisconsin 44. Morris Pratt (1820–1902), Founder of Psychic Academy 45. Mary Hayes-Chynoweth (1825–1905), Psychic Healer and Clairvoyant 46. Wingfield Watson (1828–1922), Staunch Defender of Little-Known Sect 47. Adele Brise (1831–1896), Visionary Religious Teacher Harmless Eccentrics 48. Eleazer Williams (1787–1858), Royal Imposter 49. Pinneo (dates unknown), Madison’s First Drunkard 50. Frederick and Jane Shadick (ca. 1813–1854), Wisconsin Giants 51. Bull Dog Regan (unknown–1901), King of Lumberjack Brawlers 52. Hugh Lewis (1835–1919), Civil War Veteran Who Retrieved His Amputated Arm 53. Robert Eden (1836–1907), Colonel Who Got Married on a Battlefield 54. Eugene Shepard (1854–1923), Creator of the Hodag (and Perhaps Paul Bunyan) 55. Alice Hayden and Etta McLeod (unknown–1930s), Sisters Who Forgot They Were Rich Crusaders and Reformers 56. Ezra Mendall (1797–1864), Farmer Who Stared Down Slave Catchers 57. Warren Chase (1813–1891), Utopian Communist 58. Mathilde Anneke (1817–1884), Publisher, Editor, and Women’s Rights Leader 59. Ezekiel Gillespie (1818–1892), Black Milwaukeean Who Won the Right to Vote 60. C. Latham Sholes (1819–1890), Editor and Inventor Who Ended Capital Punishment 61. Lavinia Goodell (1839–1880), First Woman to Practice Law Before the Supreme Court 62. John Deitz (1861–1924), Defender of Cameron Dam 63. Theodore Schroeder (1864–1953), Free Speech Advocate 64. Lutie Stearns (1866–1943), Progressive Librarian Doctors and Scientists 65. John Merrill (1802–1892), “Mountain Philosopher” Who Claimed Earth Was Hollow 66. Increase Lapham (1811–1875), Wisconsin’s First Scientist 67. Juliet Severance (1833–1919), Doctor and Free Love Advocate 68. William Jurden (1851–1930), Doctor Who Believed in Cavemen on Mars 69. John Till (1870–1947), Quack Doctor of Barron County Frontier Warriors and Peacemakers 70. Tomah (ca. 1752–1817), Menominee War Chief Who Argued for Peace 71. Waunigsootshka (ca. 1788–1828), Ho-Chunk Chief Who Died for His People 72. Henry Gratiot (1789–1836), Lead Miner and Negotiator 73. Mau-nah-pay-ho-nik (1793–1870), Ho-Chunk Chief Who Defied Forced Removal 74. Pierre Pauquette (1800–1836), Strongest Man in Wisconsin 75. Waubeekway (ca. 1840–1900), Ojibwe Warrior Extraordinary Characters 76. Henri de Tonty (1649–1704), Man with the Iron Hand 77. Joseph Crelie (1773–1866), 145-Year-Old Man 78. Antoine Dennis (1852–1945), Tireless Ojibwe Mail Runner 79. Benjamin Butts (1853–1930), From Orphaned Slave to Governors’ Friend 80. Hettie Pierce (1829–1944), Oldest Woman in Madison Index About the Authors