Wisconsin Lore: Antics and Anecdotes of Wisconsin People and Places

by Robert E. Gard, L.G. Sorden

OUR COPY HAS THE SAME COVER AS STOCK PHOTO SHOWN. SCUFFING AND EDGE WEAR ON COVERS AND SPINE. CREASE AT TOP AND BOTTOM OF FRONT COVER, AND STICKER RESIDUE AT TOP OF FRONT COVER. CLEAN PAGES WITH NO MARKING OR WRITING FOUND.

Genres: History, Local History, Folklore, Nonfiction

Paperback

First published January 1, 1962

Reviews

[Carol]

It has ghost stories, lumberjack tales, Indian legends, hoaxers, superstitions, proverbs, and much more. I was bad and chose the book for the interesting cover...but I'm glad I dd. The tales in this book are mostly "hometown" and regional lore. What you'll learn about Wisconsin is a lot of what tales such as these tell about any area that they cover and in this case it's obviously.... hence the title...Wisconsin. If there are any truths to these yarns, and you can decide for yourself, we learn that there are more ghosts per square mile than in any other state. Do you know how the town of Eleva, Wisconsin got its name? I didn't even know there was such a place...but I do now, and I know how it got its name. I also learned some of what the area lumberjacks called "simple talk". I visited the homes of the early pioneer healers and enjoyed the strange tales and the antics of the "real folk". Many of the Indian tales are linked to their environment. I still am not sure if there is buried treasure in Wisconsin...but I'm sure there have probably been many that tried to find out. In a nutshell, the book is about legends and lore that have been timelessly woven into the fabric of Wisconsin's history. I might have to go check out that buried treasure tale:)

[Drew D]

As the title suggests, the book is just a compilation of fun facts and anecdotes throughout the state's history. More of a coffee table book than something you'd earnestly read for historical research. I found this at a Goodwill in Green Bay, and this is a Goodwill book if i've ever seen one. Something that caught my eye is there's a chapter dedicated to "Circus lore," and I believe there were 10 pages that detailed seperate elephant deaths, to the point where I questioned the authentification of this book, because how could there be that many dead elephants? Overall, if you live in the state, you might as well hunt down a copy to keep on your shelf.

[Zarina Kizimov]

It’s a good book, I would say 3,5! Could be a 4- or even 5-star read for someone, the content is very diverse, I just expected more stories and legends about local monsters or haunted places :) loved the section about the superstitions brought from the Old World, and the proverbs were fun to read.

[LPK]

It was really interesting to read some of the old folklore and stories of the areas around where I grew up. Being a lover of history, if I still lived there I would definitely visit some of these places! But I live in MT now, which got me thinking about the many miner fables that must've been told during Montana's gold heydeys. There must be some books on that somewhere.

[Angela Hughes]

I read this many years ago, and then again, recently. Excellent book. The story about the male circus elephant hanging onto his female mate who had fallen through a rotty old bridge, forced eventually by his handlers to drop her to her death to save the rest of them, absolutely broke my heart.

[Matt]

Fun and interesting to read, especially if you live in Wisconsin. Topics range from circus lore and lumberjack stories to tall tales and buried treasure stories.

[Audrey]

I had this book read to me in school... and it peaked my interest.. so when I saw it... I had to re-read it