Tumblr Top Three: April 2013

Counting down the most-liked and most-shared posts on our Tumblr blog, Wisco Histo, for the month of April.

3. and 2. Spencer Tracy in Manitowoc; Stacking hay in Waukesha County

Two very different photographs tied for April’s second-place spot. Actor Spencer Tracy was born in Milwaukee on April 5, 1900 and went on to star in dozens of films, including Adam’s RibFather of the Bride, and Inherit the Wind. He returned to Wisconsin in 1944 to tour the shipyards of Manitowoc, which were hard at work manufacturing submarines and ships for use in World War II. In this photo from the digital collection The Home Front: Manitowoc County in World War II, naval officers and crew present Tracy with a model of the Icefish, a submarine built by the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company.

Spencer Tracy with commander and crew of the submarine Icefish, 1944.
Spencer Tracy with commander and crew of the submarine Icefish, 1944. Photo by Frances M. Kadow. Manitowoc County Historical Society.

Tracy’s trip to Manitowoc tied for “likes” on Tumblr with this image of the Swartz family posed on an immense haystack at Cornfalfa Farms in Waukesha County in 1913. The Swartzes were leaders and innovators in growing alfalfa in Wisconsin. At Cornfalfa Farms, workers used poles, a sling and a winch to pile the alfalfa harvest into 40-foot-tall haystacks.

Celebrating on a finished haystack, Cornfalfa Farms, Waukesha County, Wisconsin, 1913.
Celebrating on a finished haystack, Cornfalfa Farms, 1913. Cornfalfa Farms collection, New Berlin Historical Society.

1. Balancing high above Ripon

This striking shot of a daring acrobat dangling high above Ripon Square was far and away our most popular Tumblr post in April. Based on the date (July 3), the tents, and the large crowd gathered below, this performance was most likely part of an Independence Day carnival in Ripon.

A trapeze artist above Ripon Square, 1909. Ripon Historical Society.
A trapeze artist above Ripon Square, 1909. Ripon Historical Society.

Highlights from digital collections across Wisconsin are added to our Tumblr blog several times a week. Head here to pick up the RSS feed.