by Jim Oberly Dept. of History and American Indian Studies Program Univ. of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

“Doing Eau Claire History in the Digital Age:  Problems and Opportunities for the Working Historian” *

For presentation to the Wisconsin Historical Society Sites RetreatFeb. 19, 2008

by Jim Oberly

Dept. of History and American Indian Studies Program

Univ. of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

*…and some thoughts about interpreting Eau Claire sites….

My background: a “historial genealogist” and/or a “genealogical historian”

Both of my books have taken up national issues or problems in U.S. history and tried to study them at the community level

Sixty Million Acres (1990) studied individual-level geographical mobility among veterans of the War of 1812

Nation of Statesmen (2005) studied inter-generational politics within an American Indian community, the Stockbridge-Munsees of Shawano County

Amazon.com’s subject tracings:

James W Oberly (Author) Key Phrases: allotment selections, lands herein ceded, second draft constitution, United States, Indian Party, Citizens Party (more...)   No customer reviews yet. Be the first.  

WorldCat’s subject tracings:

Oberly, James Warren, 1954-

Subject(s):

Stockbridge and Munsee Tribe of Indians –

Politics and government.Mohegan Indians –

Politics and government.Indians of North America --Wisconsin --Politics and government.

Political culture --Wisconsin --History.

Question: who did aBetter job of subjectCataloguing?

My 2005 book on Stockbridge-Munseehistory

Teaching History 489 at UWEC

I work with UWEC students on their senior theses in History 489, almost always on Wisconsin history topics

Past History 489 authors published in the *Wisc. Magazine of History*: Mary Ellen Stolder and Bonnie Ripp.

I try to write an article-length seminar paper each time I teach the class, taking an issue or problem in U.S. history and studying Eau Claire in that light.

My last seminar paper (for which I took an “incomplete”) but hope to finish for publication…”A Population History of Eau Claire, 1856-2000”

U.S. population history—as organized into discrete periods by demographic historians1840-1900, the fertility transition from high birth rates to

low birth rates1880-1920, the “mortality revolution” from a high death

rates to low death rates1845-1924 and 1965—ongoing, high rates of

international migration to the U.S.

Question: how does Eau Claire’s population history fit into this national framework?

Here’s how I organize Eau Claire’s population history….

Age-Sex Distribution, Eau Claire 1860 (villages that later made up the City)

15 10 5 0 5 10

under 5

age 10-14

20-24

30-34

40-44

50-54

60-64

70 and up

ag

e c

ate

go

rie

s

percentage of total population

female

male

Age-Sex Distribution City of Eau Claire, 1950

-8 -6 -4 -2 0 2 4 6 8

under 5

age 10-14

20-24

30-34

40-44

50-54

60-64

70-74

85 and up

ag

e c

ate

go

ries

percentage of total population

female

male

Age-Sex Distribution City of Eau Claire 2000

10 5 0 5 10

under 5

age 10-14

20-24

30-34

40-44

50-54

60-64

70-74

80-84

age

ca

teg

ori

es

percentage of total population

female

male

City of Men, 1856-1900

City of Children, 1900-1970

City of Women, 1970-ongoing

Age-Sex Distribution, Eau Claire 1860 (villages that later made up the City)

15 10 5 0 5 10

under 5

age 10-14

20-24

30-34

40-44

50-54

60-64

70 and up

ag

e c

ate

go

rie

s

percentage of total population

female

male

City of (young) Men, 1856-1900

Imagine the type of society characterized by a “City of (young) Men” as Eau Claire was in the second half of the 19th century…

Felony Charges, City of Eau Claire, 1872-1881

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative PercentValid ADULTERY 2 .3 .3 .3 ANIMALCR 1 .2 .2 .5 ARSON 4 .6 .6 1.1 ASSAULT 276 43.3 43.3 44.4 BROTHEL 6 .9 .9 45.3 BURGLARY 8 1.3 1.3 46.6 CONTEMPT 7 1.1 1.1 47.8 DR-NL 3 .5 .5 48.3 FORGERY 4 .6 .6 48.9 FORNICATE 6 .9 .9 49.8 FRAUD 6 .9 .9 50.8 GAMBLING 1 .2 .2 50.9 HUNTING 3 .5 .5 51.4 JUVDELIN 5 .8 .8 52.2 LARCENY 119 18.7 18.7 70.8 OBSCENITY 3 .5 .5 71.3 PATERNIT 6 .9 .9 72.3 PERJURY 1 .2 .2 72.4 RAPE(ATT 5 .8 .8 73.2 RESIST 4 .6 .6 73.8 RIOT 2 .3 .3 74.1 SEDUCTIO 1 .2 .2 74.3 SELLNL/I 1 .2 .2 74.5 SERVING 21 3.3 3.3 77.7 SUNDAY 56 8.8 8.8 86.5 THREAT 13 2.0 2.0 88.6 VAGRANCY 57 8.9 8.9 97.5 VANDALISM 12 1.9 1.9 99.4 WEAPON 3 .5 .5 100.0 Total 638 100.0 100.0

19th Century Eau Claire a more extreme imbalance of men to women than the state….

Sex Ratios for State of Wisconsin and City of Eau Claire, 1860-1920

020406080

100120140160

1840 1860 1880 1900 1920 1940

year

nu

mb

er o

f m

en p

er 1

00

wo

men

WisconsinEau Claire

…and did not reach parity until 1910….

The Immigration boom….

Was intense in Eau Claire up through 1880…

…but ended well before national immigration restrictions in the 1920s

Eau Claire after 1900 attracted very few immigrants from Eastern or Southern Europe—why?

Immigrant Eau Claire(Adults--City only) 1860-1880

Category/Year 1860 1870 1880

Total adult population 1,560 4,241 6,520

Adult population born in the U.S.

60.2% 51.7% 45.4%

Adult population born outside the U.S.

39.8% 48.3% 54.6%

Number of adults born in Canada (French and English-speaking)

134 422 832

Number of adults born in Ireland

186 387 355

Number of adults born in German-speaking nations

156 390 643

Number of adults born in Norway

21 607 1,231

Research Issues:Calculating the crude and age/sex-adjusted

death rates for Eau Claire before 1907Estimating life expectancies at birth and at

different age pointsPublic health measures and combating

infectious diseases

I’m mainly working with Civil War veterans life-time health histories….

Another big question: How did Eau Claire fit into the national history of the “Mortality Revolution” between 1880 and 1920?

Eau Claire’s Civil War Veterans and Widows of 1890 City Ward Disabled

VetsWidows Assorted Causes of Disability

1st 28 3 “Rheumatism,” “chronic diahrrea,” “heart disease,” “gunshot wound,” “dyspepsia,” “367 days in Andersonville Prison,” “forefinger shot at Fair Oaks”

2nd 36 2 “Asthma,” “rupture,” “malaria,” “scurvy,” “blind,” “piles,” “varicose veins,” “partial loss of great toe”

3rd 42 8 “Measles,” “nervous affliction,” “general debility,” “horse fell on leg,” “paralysis,” “wounded by saber”

4th 45 9 “Hernia,” “bronchitits,” “catarrah”

5th 53 5 “Kidney disease,” “nose,” “bowel trouble,” “deafness,” “dysentery”

6th 22 4 “Sunstroke at Vicksburg,” “malarial poisoning”

7th 47 7 “Cough,” “rheumatism,” “diahrrea”

8th 15 3 “Fever,” “agues,” “prisoner at Andersonville Prison for 8 months”

Totals 285 44

Wisconsin Death Rates, 1910-1999

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 2020

year

de

ath

s p

er

10

00

p

op

ula

tio

n

Series1

…but what about before 1907?

What I use now from the WHS…online

Civil War soldiers indexVital Statistics Indexes…Wisc. Public DocumentsWisc. Local Newspaper Collection

What I’d like to have access to, online, from the WHS…

--WNI database, but not at $15 per search!--Full-text searching of local newspaper articles--Digitization of pre-1907 vital statistics

Eau Claire in 1872…are there any sites to interpret from the first phase of the city’s history?

The Grand Ave. bridge and the old courthouse…

Some of the most important sites are under water…

Age-Sex Distribution City of Eau Claire, 1950

-8 -6 -4 -2 0 2 4 6 8

under 5

age 10-14

20-24

30-34

40-44

50-54

60-64

70-74

85 and up

ag

e c

ate

go

ries

percentage of total population

female

male

Phase II--City of Children, 1900-1970

Research issues for the “City of Children” phase of Eau Claire history, 1900-1970

Placement and construction of schools and parks; housing patterns; recruitment of teachers; PTAs, youth sports, etc.

What I use from WHS….School Board minutesBuilding Department recordsParks Department records

What sites are there to interpret for the 2nd phase of Eau Claire history?

Age-Sex Distribution City of Eau Claire 2000

10 5 0 5 10

under 5

age 10-14

20-24

30-34

40-44

50-54

60-64

70-74

80-84

ag

e c

ate

go

rie

s

percentage of total population

female

male

City of Women, 1970--onward

Research issues for “City of Women” phase of Eau Claire history, 1970-onward

Why did the University grow so quickly and in the manner it did, increasingly attractive to women students

How did the gender gap in age grow in Eau Claire among the elderly?

How to interpret Eau Claire State (later, UWEC) as a historic site?

…and what aboutelderly, female Eau Claire today?

Women students at UWEC, 1966-1980