wisconsin

Wisconsin is a farming state. It produces dairy products and is especially well- known for the variety and excellence of its cheeses, especially Swiss cheese. Cheesemaking in Wisconsin was established by immigrants from Europe, especially German and Swiss immigrants.

We visited the National Historic Cheesemaking Center in Munroe.

Cheesemaker exhibit

Cheese was discovered by the Arabs!

Cheese making in Wisconsin was introduced by a woman.

The museum is staffed by volunteers. 

Mrs Smith shows a picture of her father, a master cheesemaker. Her grandfather emigrated from Switzerland. Guess the cheese he made? Right! Swiss!

Wisconsin’s landscape is mostly rural;  dairy farms are everywhere.

 

traffic warning sign

dairy cattle

still signs of winter in the cornfields

  Wisconsin is introducing a new kind of farm.

a wind farm - clean energy

There are many kinds of barns.

derelict

traditional

 ...and barns to send messages:














The people of Wisconsin are very organized and very  precise…

Hmmm breakfast good. Cheerios or fruitloops?

…and tidy. 

 Their concern for conservation may be related to the environmental devastation created by logging and mining in the last century.

 


We visited the Spam Museum in Austin. Spam is a canned, precooked pork product which is popular in many countries, especially in Japan.

Mr Hormel, who created Spam, in his office. The town of Austin now depends on the factory built by Mr. Hormel and his son.

 Last year, over seven billion cans were sold. It is also the source of many jokes: “SPAM” means ‘Something Posing As Meat.’” Spam was also the subject of a famous Monty Python sketch. It was a staple for US soldiers in WW II, which contributed to its popularity in other countries.

Spam mosaic

mosaic closeup

Of course the museum is self-serving promotion, but it’s amusing as well.

Auditorium door in the form of a pig's face

Tourists-- the reason for the museum...

We had a Spam and grilled cheese sandwich for dinner. Mmmm.

Sometimes Wisconsin seemed like a place lost in the 1950's

a drive-in theater

50's cafe

 
As we left Wisconsin, we crossed the upper Mississippi river. Here, it is significantly smaller than the mighty river that flows into the Gulf of Mexico.

Good-bye Wisconsin!