by Steve Tesmer | Apr 22, 2012 | Historic Events
Date in History: 1844 America’s first successful harvesting machine was invented right here in Whitewater, Wisconsin by an ambitious, energetic man named George Esterly. Esterly came to the area in 1837 and was soon operating a large wheat farm. Harvesting his huge...
by Steve Tesmer | Apr 22, 2012 | Historic Events
Date in History: 1880 to 1938 The production of butter was once a cottage industry throughout Wisconsin with each dairy farmer converting their excess milk into butter and cheese. Butter making was considered women’s work and the quality was dependent on the skill and...
by Steve Tesmer | Apr 22, 2012 | Historic Events
Date in History: 1944 Heroes come in all shapes and sizes. In 1944, a hero from Fort Atkinson came in the form of a Chesapeake Bay Retriever known as Colonel. Born to local breeder Joe Wagner, Colonel made his way to new owners in New Mexico before enlisting in the...
by Steve Tesmer | Apr 22, 2012 | Historic Events
Date in History: 1893-1919 Over the years every Fort Atkinson High School graduating class has adopted a class motto. One can only wonder what the parents and school administrators thought of the student’s choice in 1893 – “Behold! We Know Not...
by Steve Tesmer | Apr 22, 2012 | Historic Events
Date in History: 1930 During the 1920s, Fort Atkinson endured a bitter dispute when the mayor pushed through a plan to sell the city-owned gas and electric utilities to finance a new city hall. After the controversial municipal building opened in 1929, petitions began...
