The articles cover topics in Wisconsin history beginning in the 1700s, through the territorial days into statehood, the Civil War, World Wars, Industrialization, the Great Depression and up to the present. In the mid-19th century, railroads transformed Wisconsin from a frontier wilderness to a state. In 1847 Wisconsin was connected only by a few waterways and dirt and wooden roads. It reached Waukesha in 1851, Madison in 1854 and its end point at Prairie du Chien in 1854. By 1900 Wisconsin had more than 6,500 miles of track.
Railroads cut travel time within the state from days to hours.
They linked all parts of the state in an interdependent web and enabled Wisconsin to participate fully in the national economy. Wisconsinites greeted railroads enthusiastically. But the railroads received a major setback in 1856 when a major scandal erupted in the Legislature. Byron Kilbourn, who helped found Milwaukee , was also one of Wisconsin's major railroad promoters. Kilbourn had powerful rivals who also wanted the land.