The Recollection Wisconsin Digitization Initiative summer cohort started their project work in June 2025. This summer, we’re working with four new organziations and graduate students to digitize some very unique Wisconsin local history collections. We’re excited to work with the Tomah Area Historical Society and Museum to digitize and provide online public access to materials from the Frank O. King Collection. Their collection includes some of the earliest cartoons and illustrations drawn by King and is a point of pride for the museum and entire Tomah community! The comic strip itself is named after a street in Tomah that was lined with gas stations at the time.
Frank O. King (1883–1969) was an American cartoonist best known for creating the long-running comic strip Gasoline Alley, which debuted in 1918. Born in Cashton, Wisconsin in 1883, he was a pioneer in narrative storytelling and character development in comics. King moved with his family to Tomah, Wisconsin at a young age and spent much of his youth there. His experiences growing up in small-town Wisconsin influenced the tone, setting, and characters of Gasoline Alley. King gained acclaim for ageing his characters in real time, an innovative approach that gave the strip a sense of realism and emotional depth. His detailed, atmospheric drawings captured the rhythms of everyday American life, especially in the Midwest. Gasoline Alley became one of the most beloved and influential comic strips of the 20th century, and King is remembered as a master of both visual storytelling and quiet, heartfelt humor.
Leading the effort this summer is graduate student intern Elise Primrose and host site supervisor Deb Chesser. Leah Clipner Watson provides support as the museum director. Welcome Elise, Deb and Leah!
Elise Primrose is passionate about preserving history, connecting with communities, and making the past accessible to everyone. She’s thrilled to work with the Tomah Area Historical Society and Museum to digitize the collection of Gasoline Alley creator Frank O. King. When that wraps up, and she completes her Master’s in Library and Information Science from UW-Milwaukee, she’ll step into a new role as the museum’s curator. Congratulations, Elise!
Elise has hands-on experience from Murphy Library Special Collections at UW-La Crosse, where she helped launch the UWL COVID-19 Archiving Project and presented it at the 2021 Wisconsin Library Association Conference. She’s also designed interactive programming for local history museums and currently works as a Library Assistant at the Carnegie-Schadde Memorial Public Library in Baraboo. With a background in world history and archaeology, Elise brings both curiosity and care to every project she tackles.
Welcome Team Tomah! Much gratitude to our partners at the UW-Milwaukee SOIS and UW-Madison iSchool and the state of Wisconsin for enabling this opportunity in Fall 2024, Spring 2025, and Summer 2025.
For further details, visit Recollection Wisconsin Digitization Initiative or contact Vicki Tobias at vicki@wils.org.
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