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Wisconsin Historical Society Press

Publishing Wisconsin history and culture since 1855. https://linktr.ee/whspress

10/09/2026

When as a young man Migmar first fled across the Himalayas toward an uncertain future, he wondered how he would start a new life somewhere else—without a country, citizenship, education, or job.

Years later, raising a family in a refugee camp in India, he and his wife, Tenzin, asked themselves the same question as they considered entering a US immigration lottery. “Let’s try,” Tenzin said, setting the family on a difficult and rewarding path, both remarkable and familiar to the many immigrant families who have taken it.

When they finally made it to the United States, Madeline Uraneck, a single woman and self-confessed meddler, thought she would help the newcomers navigate American life—involving herself for a few years at most—but Migmar and Tenzin had other ideas. They welcomed her into their home and their daily lives.

An evocative blend of immersion journalism and memoir, How to Make a Life shares the immigration story of a Tibetan refugee family who crossed real and cultural bridges to make a life in Madison, Wisconsin, with the assistance of the Midwestern woman they befriended.

To learn more about this inspiring story, visit https://wihist.org/4yIHVdO

10/09/2026

Peggy Prilaman Marxen recounts her family's rural farming life and its evolution from her ancestors to the modern day in "The Farm on Badger Creek: Memories of a Midwest Girlhood."

Peggy Marxen grew up near the town of Meteor in northwestern Wisconsin’s Sawyer County, isolated by geography yet surrounded by close-knit extended family. Multiple generations of her family witnessed changes to rural Wisconsin that altered the fabric of their lives and the lives of all in their community, including the introduction of new farming techniques, school consolidation, and revolutions in transportation and technology.

With a lyrical style that mixes nostalgia with humorous anecdotes, Marxen traces her family’s story through the best and worst of times. This book is a fitting tribute to her settler ancestors and a way of life now gone—and a celebration of the hardy people who carve out a life in our nation’s rural communities.

Grab your copy today at https://wihist.org/4hDoCvd

10/07/2026

Are you looking for the perfect book to add to your weekends full of autumn hikes and cool Wisconsin days?

"Sand and Fire: Exploring a Rare Pine Barrens Landscape" gives readers an in-depth glance into one of Wisconsin's most spectacular landscapes.

A tiny remnant of the millions of barrens acres that once covered the region, the Namekagon Barrens Wildlife Area lies in the heart of Wisconsin's Northwest Sands, a band of pine and oak stretching from Bayfield on Lake Superior to St. Croix Falls on the Wisconsin-Minnesota border. Unfathomable amounts of glacial sand and repeated fires over thousands of years shaped a land of scrub oak and jack pine, blueberries and sweet fern, creating an idea habitat for wolves and sharp-tailed grouse.

Just as compelling is the land's rich human history, from Paleo-Indian hunters to Ojibwe berry pickers, loggers to early road builders, and immigrant families unable to farm the land to the wildlife habitat specialists who manage it today.

Pick up your copy today at https://wihist.org/4yrW4Ms

10/06/2026

“I cannot separate foods from the moments in my life when I first tasted them.” - Thomas Pecore Weso

"Survival Food: North Woods Stories by a Menominee Cook" takes readers into a coming-of-age tale set on the Menominee Indian Reservation in the 1980s and 1990s. These stories from the author’s teen and tween years—some serious, some laugh-out-loud funny—will take readers from Catholic schoolyards to Native foot trails to North Woods bowling alleys, while providing Weso’s perspective on the political currents of the era.

Learn more about Thomas and his story at https://wihist.org/47zKset

10/06/2026

Fall is here and the weather is pointing you towards an afternoon of cozy reading.

Start your week off with Carol Cornelius' "A History of Indigenous Voices," an examination of Indigenous treatymaking in the Upper Midwest.

Drawing on a rich collection of primary sources, Cornelius walks readers through how, why, and for whom these treaties were made and how the US government's failure and unwillingness to acknowledge their legitimacy led to further annexation of Indigenous lands and displacement of Native tribes. The living documents transcribed here testify to the complexity and sovereignty of Indigenous governance then and now and reveal vital truths to understanding the history of the United States and its relationship with Indigenous nations.

To learn more or purchase a copy, visit https://wihist.org/3VjLLvs

10/03/2026

About 100 miles north of Chippewa Falls lies the Namekagon Barrens—a globally rare pine/oak barrens landscape.

On September 26th, 2026, the Friends of the Namekagon Barrens Wildlife Area installed and dedicated a Wisconsin Historical Society marker to commemorate the robust history of the barrens.

Dave Peters, author of "Sand and Fire: Exploring A Rare Pine Barrens Landscape," was on hand for the celebration. Peters details this unique natural history as the backdrop for a multilayered story about the impact of people on this vulnerable landscape. From Paleo-Indian hunters to Ojibwe berry pickers, loggers to early road builders, immigrant farmers to the wildlife habitat specialists who manage it today, people have long played a role in shaping this landscape.

To learn more about "Sand and Fire," visit https://wihist.org/4z3hvDm

10/02/2026

October is shaping up to be a busy month for our authors! Check out all of this month's book events and add your favorites to your calendar.

Visit https://wihist.org/4dfxGFk for more information!

09/29/2026

The fall issue of the "Wisconsin Magazine of History" published earlier this month. Readers will discover the fascinating history of Pleasant Ridge, WI, a community of free and formerly enslaved Black people that was founded a decade before the start of the Civil War.

Other highlights include the feature, “The Young La Follettes," on the visionary work of second-generation Progressives Robert La Follette Jr. and Philip La Follette, a piece on the impact the Yellowstone Trail had on Wisconsin, and an excerpt from the new book, "Lambeau Ladies."

Congratulations to all the featured authors!

If you'd like to receive the "Wisconsin Magazine of History," visit https://wihist.org/4z3Ayxv to subscribe today!

09/26/2026

Fall may have just begun, but here at the Wisconsin Historical Society Press Christmas has arrived early! 🎄❄️⛄️

Jerry Apps and Susan R. Apps-Bodilly share their family memories, holiday recipes, and festive crafts in their new book, "Old Farm Country Christmas," available on October 27th.

You can preorder your copy now at https://wihist.org/4zk3pOr

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