- I love the flat endless landscapes with fields, huge barns, cows, and big skies. Right now the trees are in color. Rural New England has hills and stone walls. The farms are smaller. The scenery is sweet. In the Midwest the land is vast and powerful.
German
- In Wisconsin, names reflect the heritage of early settlers. In the mid 1800's immigrants came from places like Germany, Belgium, and Luxemburg. Today's Wisconsinites are invariably fair-haired and blue-eyed. Streets, businesses and people have names like Kurz, Kaufman, Schroeder. Years ago people still spoke German and German newspapers were common. See NPR "In Rural Wisconsin, German Reigned For Decades". Today German language is still taught in Wisconsin schools and you occasionally see translations. Note that the dentists in photo below identify themselves as Zahnarzt. Summertime festivals feature brats, kraut, beer and German bands.
Death notice published 1899 Die Wahrheit, Manitowoc, WisconsinBeer
- A lot less fancy wine drinking here. People drink beer with their supper. Good draft beer is readily available everywhere.
Dairy
- As soon as you cross the border, you'll know you are in the dairy state. On the highway, cars flaunt America's Dairyland license plates. Shops entice you to come in, try and buy delicious local cheeses. Restaurants put real butter on the table. Wisconsinites like butter plus it is actually illegal for restaurants to not give it to them. Bet you did not know that up until the 60's the sale of "margarine" was illegal in Wisconsin. It had to be bootlegged in from Illinois! See article about Wisconsin's Butter Laws. If it comes from the cow, Wisconsin has it for you.
So many to choose from at the Cheese Shop
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