Happy American Archives Month!

Happy American Archives Month! During October, we like to share how awesome archives and history research can be. At the University of Wisconsin-Stout Archives, we have a wealth of online resources available to you to start your research journey. Two ways to view a slice of past UW-Stout student life is by exploring The Tower yearbooks and The Stoutonia student newspaper. The Tower was an annual publication produced by Stout students from 1909-1989, and The Stoutonia is a current publication produced by Stout students from 1915-present. They provide information and photographs about student activities, classes, organizations, staff and faculty, and the surrounding community. The archives houses physical copies of The Tower and The Stoutonia, and they are digitized and available on the archives website via the Internet Archive and Preservica:

Tower: https://archive.org/details/toweryearbook?&sort=date

Stoutonia: https://archive.org/details/stoutonia?&sort=date

Preservica:  https://uwstout.access.preservica.com/archive/

The UW-Stout archivist Heather Stecklein has also recorded video tutorials of where to find the Tower and Stoutonia on our website and how to conduct searches: https://library.uwstout.edu/tutorials/digitalprimarysources

1955-'56 Tower Yearbook staff

Tower Yearbooks

Another great resource to view past student and local life, and to understand the time period you are researching, is by looking at community and national newspapers. There are many great resources available via the UW-Stout Archives and Library website. Discover them here:

You can search the archives newspaper index, and request items to be scanned for you: https://library.uwstout.edu/arcarchives/arearesearchcenter

John Russell Articles Index (for Dunn County News): http://archives.lib.uwstout.edu/ics-wpd/russell_collection/index.shtml

New York Times Library database, etc.: https://library.uwstout.edu/az.php?a=n

Dunn County News via the Menomonie Public Library: https://menomonielibrary.org/databases/genealogy/

Rice Lake Chronotype via the Rice Lake Public Library: http://ricelake.advantage-preservation.com/

Newspapers via the Eau Claire Public Library: https://www.ecpubliclibrary.info/print-archives/

Wisconsin Newspaper Association Archive of WI Newspapers, 2005 to 90 days ago: https://badgerlink.newsmemory.com/wna/badgerlink/

Minnesota Digital Newspaper Hub: https://www.mnhs.org/newspapers/hub

Printing the Stoutonia, 1950-'51

Stoutonia staff members getting the newspaper ready to distribute, 1950-'51

Happy American Archives Month!

Happy American Archives Month! During October, we like to share how awesome archives and history research can be. The University of Wisconsin-Stout Archives is part of a larger archival network in Wisconsin called the Area Research Center (ARC) Network. The ARC Network is a collaboration between the Wisconsin Historical Society in Madison, the University of Wisconsin System, and the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center. Each ARC houses university, county, government, and regional interest related records for the surrounding counties such as yearbooks, newspapers, and genealogy records. UW-Stout houses records for Dunn, Barron, and Pepin Counties. If you wanted to look at records housed at a different ARC, such as UW-Green Bay, most archival items can be requested and shipped between the ARC’s in the network, so researchers do not have to travel all over the state for research purposes. Now that sounds like a cool system! Discover more about the Area Research Center Network here: https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS4000

March 8, 1973, Stoutonia article, "University Archives Preserved at Library"

Dec. 3, 1971, Stoutonia article "History Records find new Home"

There are also a wealth of online resources available to you to start your research journey. From the  Archives home page, there are 3 different links you can click on to find online resources and search indexes for items held at UW-Stout, and the surrounding community. You can search through the Tower Yearbooks, Stoutonia student newspapers, alumni publications, links to library databases and genealogical indexes, and the 1925 History of Dunn County. You can also access Ancestry with a Stout ID.

Digital Collections Link: https://library.uwstout.edu/friendly.php?s=digitalprimarysources

Collection Indexes Link: https://library.uwstout.edu/arcarchives/universityarchives

Area Research Center Link: https://library.uwstout.edu/arcarchives/arearesearchcenter

Preservica:  https://uwstout.access.preservica.com/archive/

County and state online resources available for historical and newspaper research:

Menomonie Public Library: https://menomonielibrary.org/databases/genealogy/

Dunn County Historical Society:  http://www.dunnhistory.org/

Mabel Tainter: https://mabeltainter.org/

Eau Claire Public Library: https://www.ecpubliclibrary.info/explore/

Wisconsin Historical Society: https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/

Roadtrip your way through History: Rock Falls Raceway Edition

 

Many of you may watch the Daytona 500 or the Indy 500, but does anyone watch the NHRA Lucas Oil Nationals? Discover the fun of Drag Racing, where two competitors drive down a straight 1/8th or 1/4 mile track and balance speed, force, and reaction times to see who will be the winner. The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) has drag strips all over the U.S. that people can race at, and some are close to home in Brainerd, MN; Cedar Falls, Iowa; and Rock Falls, WI. Rock Falls Raceway, a short 30 minute drive from Menomonie, has operated as a race track since 1969, when it was originally called Amber Green Dragways and owned by Dr. Frank. In 1979, the track was sold to drag racer Al Corda and renamed Rock Falls Raceway. In 2015, Corda sold the track to Jim Greenheck, owner of CTech Manufacturing.

Amber Green Tower and Starting line, ca. 1970s

      

       

Amber Green staging lanes, ca. 1970s

Rock Falls Raceway is a Division 5 track in NHRA’s West Central Division. The track is also part of the Midwest Drag Racing Association (MDRA), and individual racers can sign up to be MDRA members. Racing at the track usually occurs on the weekends from the end of April to the end of October, with a variety of races for everyone: Test Days for anyone to see what their vehicle can do, racing to win money or trophies, Muscle Cars, trucks, Sport Compact, Motorcycles, High School Racing, Jr. Dragsters, Bracket Racing, etc. Discover a schedule and racing info. Here: https://www.rockfallsraceway.com/ 

Rock Falls Raceway Flyer, 1987

There are a few ways to reach the racetrack from Menomonie: Drive South out of town on UW-12 E towards HWY 29, turn Right onto HWY E, turn right onto Hwy H, cross the Chippewa River and turn right onto State Hwy 85 at Caryville. In Caryville turn left onto 190^th Ave, drive about a mile and turn right onto 1000^th St. and the track is at the top of the hill. You can also get to the racetrack via Cty Rd J, to Cty Rd C, and turn right onto Cty Rd H to Caryville. Or take Hwy WI-25 S towards Downsville, to Cty Rd C, to Cty Rd H to Caryville.

My dad, John Hatfield, has been spectating and racing at the racetrack since the 1970s. Growing up, I spent many summer weekends spectating and being pit crew for my dad, and I have worked at Rock Falls Raceway since 2005. My dad, along with many other racers who race at the track, have a great knowledge and passion for racing, working on cars, and perfecting their craft. The racetrack has gone through many physical and operational changes over the past 50 years, as technology and racing standards have changed. Below are racing time cards, ca. 1970s-1980s. Currently, they are computer print outs that print out at the end of the racetrack.

                    

Staging lanes, only one black top lane, ca. 1970s-1980s

Front of staging lanes, all blacktop surface, 2015

Starting line, with new concrete barriers, photo taken from previous spectator side, 2019

John Hatfield sitting in burnout box, next in line to stage at the Christmas tree

There are also car enthusiasts and car clubs at UW-Stout that love to work on and drive cars, and that have raced at Rock Falls Raceway in the past. From 1969-1979, the Northern Pine Corvettes was a club for people interested in corvettes and cars in general. Around 1977, it was renamed Stout Street Machines and in September 1979 it merged with the Stout Antique Auto Club. The archives has a small collection for the Northern Pine Corvettes, Stout Series 38, with Articles of Incorporation, membership lists, their newsletter “Around the Corner,” event information, and newsletters received from other area corvette clubs.

The UW-Stout Auto Club, previously the Stout Antique Auto Club, founded in 1966-1967, is a current club on campus. They sponsor a car show every school year, attend car shows and swap meets, work on their cars, and raise money for charity.

                           

Stoutonia, Oct. 22, 1987, p. 15

                                                                                   

Stoutonia, Sept. 22, 2005, p. 6

Check out UW-Stout Auto Club’s Annual car show on October 3^rd, 9am-2:30pm: https://www.facebook.com/events/513573972639153/?acontext=%7B%22event_action_history%22%3A[%7B%22mechanism%22%3A%22search_results%22%2C%22surface%22%3A%22search%22%7D]%7D

Drag racing + Area History. What could be better? Check out Rock Falls Raceway. 

A little slice of racing action: John Hatfield making a pass down the track, Oct. 2019

Photographs and fliers courtesy of John Hatfield, long-time spectator and drag racer at Amber Green Dragways/Rock Falls Raceway

By: Julie Hatfield, Archives Assistant, UW-Stout Archives

Additional Sources:

NHRA: https://www.nhra.com/nhra ;  https://www.nhra.com/about-nhra 

NHRA’s Racing 101 article: https://www.nhra.com/nhra-101

Al Corda April 22, 2020, podcast interview (previous Rock Falls track owner and long time drag racer) by The Class Racing Podcast with Aaron and Chuck: https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/classracing/episodes/2020-04-22T11_37_21-07_00

Rock Falls Raceway Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/RockFallsRaceway  

Amber Green Dragways – Eau Claire, WI Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/651525141556117

UW-Stout Auto Club Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/12924095789

Stoutonia articles via the Internet Archive:

Sept. 22, 2005, p. 6: https://archive.org/details/StoutoniaVolume96/page/n25/mode/2up?q=auto+club

Oct. 20, 2005, p. 6: https://archive.org/details/StoutoniaVolume96/page/n85/mode/2up?q=auto+club

April 5, 1984, p. 5: https://archive.org/details/StoutoniaVolume74/page/n571/mode/2up?q=auto+club

Oct. 22, 1987, p. 15 (Stout Auto Club racing at Rock Falls Raceway): https://archive.org/details/StoutoniaVolume78/page/n169/mode/2up?q=auto+club

Aril 21, 1988, p. 4: https://archive.org/details/StoutoniaVolume78/page/n591/mode/2up?q=auto+club

 

Dunn County News Articles (via the Menomonie Public Library):

April 13, 1988, p. 4, UW-Stout Antique Auto Club auto show and swap meet at Dunn County Rec Park, featuring Al Corda’s NHRA Winston Stock world champion drag car (owner of Rock Falls Raceway): https://menomoniepubliclibrary.newspapers.com/image/542953960/?terms=rock%2Bfalls%2Braceway

Oct. 25, 1995, front page, “New Program lets kids ‘beat the heat’: https://menomoniepubliclibrary.newspapers.com/image/542411791/?terms=rock%2Bfalls%2Braceway

Roadtrip your way through History: Caddie Woodlawn Edition

Do you want a fun way to learn about history? Take a road trip! About a 15-minute drive south of Menomonie, WI, along Highway 25, is the Caddie Woodlawn Historical Park. The park includes the original home of Caroline Augusta Woodhouse, for whom the Caddie Woodlawn book series is based on. The park was dedicated in 1970. Caroline Woodhouse’s home was moved in 1970 from the original site about 300 yards to the east. The park is operated by the Dunn County Historical Society (located in Wakanda Park in Menomonie, WI), and includes a covered picnic area and restrooms, and admission is free. I first visited the park in August of 2010, which is about the same time I visited the Laura Ingalls Wilder (who wrote the Little House on the Prairie series) site in Pepin, WI, for the first time. I read these books when I was younger and like learning about pioneering and Wisconsin history, and I realized I could explore these places I had read about, and they were just a short drive from Menomonie. I visited the Caddie Woodlawn Historical Park again a few weeks ago, and it was a farther drive to the park than I remembered. The place still looked the same, except there is a new yellow “Woodlawn House” sign by the front door of the house. The surrounding area by the park is very peaceful, and it is a good way to explore history close to home while social distancing during the COVID-19 Pandemic. After visiting the park, you could keep driving south towards Durand and enjoy Wisconsin’s beautiful scenic landscape.

Park sign next to HWY 25

Caddie Woodlawn Historical Park Marker, 1970

The original Woodhouse family home

Peaceful farmland scenery surrounding the park

Other side of the park, including the block of Dunnville Sandstone

Looking out towards HWY 25 from the historical marker

Caddie Woodlawn was published in 1935, and its sequel Magical Melons was published in 1939, during the same time frame the Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder was published. The author Carol Ryrie Brink wrote about her grandmother’s adventures growing up as a tomboy in 1860s Dunnville, Wisconsin, about a 20-minute drive south of Menomonie on HWY 25. Brink’s grandmother’s name was Caroline Augusta Woodhouse, which was changed to Caddie Woodlawn for the books. The UW-Stout Library houses a 1973 edition of Caddie Woodlawn in the Education Materials Center on the 2^nd floor, Young Adult Fiction, call number: BRINK Caddie 1973.

1973 book cover

In the archives, we have area history books and documents related to Dunn County’s history as well as archival collections related to Caddie Woodlawn and the historical park site. Some collections are:  Manuscript 82, Dunn County Historical Society Records, 1950-1982; Stout Mss O, Downsville Cut Stone Company, 1928-1968 (a block of Dunnville Sandstone is located at the historical park); Stout Small Collection 52, a 1981 term paper by Martha Stratton about Caddie Woodlawn and creation of the Caddie Woodlawn Memorial Park by the Dunn County Historical Society; Stout Small Collection 40, a copy of a talk given by Carol Ryrie Brink, author of Caddie Woodlawn, ca. 1960; and Vertical File 18, Caddie Woodlawn: A Pioneer Girl on Wisconsin’s Frontier, compiled by the Dunn County Historical Society and edited by John M. Russell. There is also a Caddie Woodlawn Country Map prepared by John M. Russell available on the Wisconsin Historical Society website, and articles in the Dunn County News and Stoutonia student newspaper about the Caddie Woodlawn Historical Park dedication and site available online (links available below). When the archives reopens to the public, you could always set up an appointment with us to investigate all the treasures we have relating to Caddie Woodlawn.

Vertical File 18 book cover

Caddie Woodlawn Country map located in Vertical File 18 book

By: Julie Hatfield, Archives Assistant, UW-Stout Archives

Sources:

• ·         Caddie Woodlawn. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caddie_Woodlawn  (accessed 4/21/2020)
• ·         Caddie Woodlawn Historical Marker. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=31194&Result=1
• ·         Caddie Woodlawn Historical Park. Dunn County Historical Society. http://www.dunnhistory.org/sitecw.html
• ·         UW-Stout University Archives and Area Research Center Historical Driving Tour. http://archives.lib.uwstout.edu/ics-wpd/DrivingTour/index.html,

http://archives.lib.uwstout.edu/ics-wpd/DrivingTour/caddie_main.html

• ·       Caddie Woodlawn. 1973. UW-Stout Library. https://uwi-primoalma-prod.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-explore/fulldisplay?docid=UWI71301783620002121&context=L&vid=STOUT&lang=en_US&search_scope=Search_Stout&adaptor=Local%20Search%20Engine&isFrbr=true&tab=default_tab&query=any,contains,%20caddie%20woodlawn&sortby=rank&facet=frbrgroupid,include,553543901&offset=0

• ·         Dunn County News. July 8, 1970. “Mrs. Brink Receive Key to City During Ceremonies Saturday.” Menomonie Public Library Dunn County News Archive, 1862-2020.   https://menomoniepubliclibrary.newspapers.com/image/542311775/?terms=caddie%2Bwoodlawn  (accessed 4/21/2020)
• ·         History of Dunn County, Wisconsin. Minneapolis, Minnesota: H.C. Cooper, Jr. & Co., 1925. http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/WI.IHDunnCounty
• ·         Stoutonia. Internet Archive. Caddie Woodlawn searches: https://archive.org/search.php?query=caddie+woodlawn&and[]=collection:%22stoutonia%22&sin=TXT
• ·         Wisconsin Historical Society. Caddie Woodlawn Country Map, 1974. Dunn County Historical Society, prepared by John M. Russell. http://cdm15932.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/maps/id/1686

Women's Right to Vote: Celebrating the Ratification of the 19th Amendment

We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these rights governments are instituted, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.

Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions, Seneca Falls Convention, 1848

The Seneca Falls Declaration is one of the most important documents in the women’s suffrage movement, presented in Seneca Falls, New York, on July 19, 1848, by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, and other prominent women. The declaration was modeled after the Declaration of Independence, and provides an overview of the 12 resolutions that were adopted at the convention, which helped determine the future actions of women who wanted to gain the rights of full citizens.

In 1869, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony formed the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA), which worked for universal suffrage through the United States federal government. That same year, Lucy Stone and Julia Ward Howe formed the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA), which worked for suffrage at the state level through campaigns geared towards individual state governments. In 1890, the two organizations combined to form the National American Women Suffrage Association (NAWSA), which was instrumental in securing the ratification of the 19^th Amendment in 1920.

On the state level, the Wisconsin Women Suffrage Association (WWSA) was formed in 1869, led by Reverend Olympia Brown. By 1911, the Political Equality League (PEL) was formed and organized as a branch of the National PEL and led by Ada L. James. Both organizations worked tirelessly organizing committees in each county and gaining support prior to the 1912 November election. In 1911, the Wisconsin legislature passed a suffrage bill that would have allowed women in Wisconsin to vote in all elections, but to become a law it had to be voted on in a referendum, set for during the November 5, 1912, election. Fourteen counties (out of 71, WI now has 72 counties) voted yes in the referendum, many in Northwest Wisconsin, but Dunn County was not one of them. The vote was close in Dunn County: 49.3% votes for it, and 50.7% votes against. In 1913, the PEL and WWSA merged their organizations, kept the WWSA name, and elected a new president, Theodora Winton Youmans. They continued the mission to organize clubs and fight for women’s suffrage. Check out these 1917 Stoutonia student newspaper articles about organizing suffrage clubs at Stout Institute, County Normal and Agricultural Schools.

Stoutonia, Feb. 28, 1917, p. 1

Stoutonia March 14, 1917, p. 3

Stoutonia March 28, 1917, p. 3

Women finally won the vote in Wisconsin, and the nation, in 1920. The 19^th Amendment to the Constitution established the nationwide vote for women. It was proposed by Congress in June 1919 and ratified August 26, 1920. Wisconsin was the fist state to ratify the 19^th Amendment on June 10, 1919, just beating Illinois. Check out these 1920 Dunn County News articles announcing the ratification of the 19^th Amendment and Stout Institute’s involvement in the celebration.

Dunn County News, Aug. 19, 1920, p. 1

Dunn County News, Aug. 26, 1920, p. 1

Dunn County News, Aug. 26, 1920, p. 1, Stout Institute's Celebration Involvement

Dunn County News, Sept. 2, 1920, p. 1 Organizing Dunn County Women for Voting

Even though museums, archives, and libraries are closed to the public during this time, there are a wealth of online resources and online exhibits where you can learn about women’s suffrage and the 100 year Anniversary of the ratification of the 19^th Amendment on a national and local level, which some are available below. When we return to physically being open, you could also request collections to be shipped from the Wisconsin Historical Society through the Area Research Center Network to look at them at the UW-Stout Archives. While an undergraduate history major at UW-Eau Claire, I requested items from the Ada James Collection, who led the Political Equality League, for writing a paper about the 1912 suffrage referendum in Wisconsin, and it was very interesting. Happy Women’s History Month!  

By: Julie Hatfield, Archives Assistant, UW-Stout Archives

Sources:

• ·         Dunn County News. Aug. 19, Aug. 26, Sept. 2, 1920. Menomonie Public Library Dunn County News Archive, 1862-2020.   https://menomoniepubliclibrary.newspapers.com/search/#lnd=1&query=%22dunn+county+public+health+nurse%22&dr_year=1935-2000&silo=456&p_county=Dunn+County%2C+Wisconsin  (accessed 3/31/2020)
• ·         Stoutonia. Volume 3. Feb. 28, March 14, 18, 1917. University of Wisconsin-Stout, Archives Department. https://archive.org/details/stoutonia?&sort=date   (accessed 3/31/2020)
• ·         Davis, Kenneth C. Don’t Know Much about History: Everything you need to know about American History but never learned. New York: HarperCollins Publishers Inc., 2003.
• ·         Janik, Erika. A Short History of Wisconsin. State Historical Society of Wisconsin: Wisconsin Historical Society Press, 2010.
• ·         Schneir, Miriam, ed. Feminism: The Essential Historical Writings. 3^rd ed. New York: Vintage Books, 1994, p. 76-78.
• ·         Yanak, Ted, and Pam Cornelison. The Great American History Fact-Finder. With a foreword by Norman Y. Mineta. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1993.
• ·         Ada James Collection. Articles, speeches, and outgoing correspondence. 1816-1952. Wis Mss OP, Boxes 24 and 29; Micro 848 reels 1-4. Wisconsin Historical Society Archives. Madison, Wisconsin.  http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi/f/findaid/findaid-idx?c=wiarchives;view=reslist;subview=standard;didno=uw-whs-wis000op
• ·         Hatfield, Julie. “Northwest vs. Southeast: Factors Affecting the 1912 Suffrage Referendum Vote in Wisconsin.” University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire McIntyre Library MINDS@UW (July 2008). https://minds.wisconsin.edu/handle/1793/28775

Additional Resources:

• ·         Library of Congress. National American Woman Suffrage Association Collection. https://www.loc.gov/collections/national-american-woman-suffrage-association/about-this-collection/  (accessed 3/27/2020)
• ·         National Archives Website, Women’s History Resources: https://www.archives.gov/news/topics/womens-history 
• ·         ____. Rightfully Hers: American Women the Vote exhibit at the National Archives Museum, Lawrence F. O’Brien Gallery, from May 10, 2019-January 3, 2021:  https://museum.archives.gov/rightfully-hers  
• ·         National Park Service. Women’s Suffrage History Timeline. https://www.nps.gov/wori/learn/historyculture/womens-suffrage-history-timeline.htm  (accessed 3/27/2020)
• ·         Women’s Vote Centennial. Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission. https://www.womensvote100.org/
• ·         _____.  Wisconsin Resources  https://www.womensvote100.org/wisconsin
• ·         Wisconsin Historical Society. https://wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS16290
• ·         ______. “We Stand on Their Shoulders”:  A History of Wisconsin Women and Voting. Exhibit located in Radell Gallery, 4^th Floor.  https://historicalmuseum.wisconsinhistory.org/womens-suffrage-exhibit/
• ·         Twitter Hashtags:  #WomensHistoryMonth, #19thAmendment, #WomensVote100,  #RightfullyHers  

Journey into Health History: Dunn County Public Health Nursing Service

“It has long been known that it COSTS LESS TO PREVENT ILLNESS than it does to treat or cure it.”

This week I continued my journey into the health history of Dunn County by taking a closer look at the Annual Reports created by the Dunn County Public Health Nursing Service, ranging from 1941-1975, which I discovered while searching through the UW-Stout University Archives. The above quote written in the 1943 annual report by the Dunn County Public Health Nurse is as prevalent today as it was 77 years ago. The Dunn County Nurse would write an annual report at the end of each year to the Board of Supervisors of Dunn County. The nurse usually reported about: classes and health centers held; number of children being examined and immunized, and what immunized for (such as smallpox, diphtheria, polio); prevalent diseases in Dunn County (most prevalent during 1940s-1950s were mumps, chicken pox, measles and whooping cough); showing teachers and student teachers at the Dunn County Normal School how to weigh, measure, and test vision and hearing of their students; teaching about preventing the spread of communicable diseases; crippled children’s service; giving rural school children cards for free dental exams; different community groups the nurse worked with during the year, etc. Some groups the nurse worked with that contributed to Dunn County’s Health program over the years, with providing money, free examinations, transportation, etc., were the Salvation Army, Menomonie Legion Auxiliary, the Dunn County Infantile Paralysis Organization, and the Menomonie Rotary and Lions Club. There was also a Lay Advisory Committee organized in 1947 of health minded women from different townships and villages that met once a month and helped connect the County Nurse’s Office to the Dunn County Communities. They provided health educational programs, provided the nurse with help during special programs, and directed people to the Dunn County nurse.

1953 Annual Report

The 1953 annual report provides an overview of what the county nurse does. The nurse needs to have training in Public Health Nursing and knowledge of community health problems so she knows what to look for in the community (by studying community statistics and available records, etc.), how to organize the community in response to health problems, and to teach individuals about improving their health. The nurse created a tentative schedule each month for visiting families and schools in each part of Dunn County, but in the city of Menomonie the School Health Program was directed by a school nurse. The nurse also needs support from the Dunn County medical profession (doctors at Memorial Hospital), and getting their help with immunization centers.

The Dunn County Nurse states in the 1951 annual report that “The Health Program of Dunn County is a community wide project aimed to not only reach the above mentioned groups [the sick and school health problems], but to provide health education for the entire family and community.”  The United States Public Health Service recommended 1 nurse for every 5,000 individuals, so Dunn County could have used 5 nurses for its roughly 27,000 people during the 1950s. The nurse had to be strategic with scheduling visits to homes, schools, and clinics. There was also a Dunn County Public Health Secretary, who dictated and typed letters to parents and teachers, records, reports, postcards, and rescheduled tests, etc., so the nurse had more time to make her rounds in Dunn County.

1951 Annual Report

I found many articles in the Dunn County News from over the years naming who was hired for the position of the Dunn County Public Health Nurse, and when immunization clinics and screenings were being held. Here is an example ad for a Free Blood Pressure screening in the April 11, 1984, p. 9, Dunn County News.

Public health services are also mentioned in the Stoutonia student newspaper over the years. The 1959 annual nurse’s report mentions Stout State College and how it will not be included in the State Board of Health Mobile Health X-Ray Unit.

On the official website for Dunn County, under the Public Health Department, I discovered there is still a Dunn County Public Health Nursing Service. It looks like they provide a lot of the same types of services as in the 1940s-1950s: Home visits, immunizations, screenings, oral dental health education, newborn and family health education, to promote health equity, etc.  An annual report is still created by the Dunn County Health Department. In the 2018 annual report it states that the County Health Department was created in 1935. “The Primary work of the nurse included: an infant and maternal health program, prevention and control of  communicable diseases, building up the health of school children, tuberculosis control and crippled children’s follow up program” (2018 annual report, p. 2). The Dunn County website is a great place to learn about the Public Health services provided in Dunn County, as well as other county resources. During the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic they are providing updates and information on their main website page:  https://www.co.dunn.wi.us/index.asp?SEC={C8A480A6-E321-468A-8920-705855D2E445}

By: Julie Hatfield, Archives Assistant, UW-Stout Archives

Sources:

Dunn County Public Health Nursing Service Annual Reports, 1941-. Manuscript 41. University of Wisconsin-Stout, Archives Department

Dunn County News. April 11, 1984, p.9. Menomonie Public Library Dunn County News Archive, 1862-2020.   https://menomoniepubliclibrary.newspapers.com/search/#lnd=1&query=%22dunn+county+public+health+nurse%22&dr_year=1935-2000&silo=456&p_county=Dunn+County%2C+Wisconsin  (accessed 3/25/2020)

Dunn County Website, Public Health Department, Public Health Nursing.  https://www.co.dunn.wi.us/index.asp?SEC=D8F35BA2-EFA5-43FE-B3B3-A588ABF40865&Type=B_BASIC

_______.  2018 Annual Report. https://www.co.dunn.wi.us/vertical/Sites/%7BD750D8EC-F485-41AF-8057-2CE69E2B175A%7D/uploads/Health_Dept_Annual_Report_2018.pdf

_______. COVID-19 information: https://www.co.dunn.wi.us/index.asp?SEC={C8A480A6-E321-468A-8920-705855D2E445}   (accessed 3/25/2020)

Stoutonia. University of Wisconsin-Stout, Archives Department. https://archive.org/details/stoutonia?&sort=date   (accessed 3/25/2020)