Experience firsthand how life in small towns began to change as the railroads challenged craft workers and local businesses to compete with new goods and services. Students will help craftsmen like the shoemaker and blacksmith ply their trades while they explain how the "new" economy affected their lives. Students will also visit the general store. This two hour trip also includes a trip to the inn to discover the changes industrialization had on travel. Explore the Crossroads Village.

Experience firsthand what village life was like in different periods by visiting the 1860s Sanford House, washing clothes at the 1880s Hafford House, and being part of the congregation at 1870s St. Peter's Church. Explore the Crossroads Village.

Life for most children in the 19th century took place on farms. See how the importance and methods of farming in Wisconsin have changed over time. By weaving, using the flax break and visiting the oxen, students will learn about these changes as well as what children in the 19th century knew: All about feeding a family, caring for animals, and making a farm a home. Explore a sample of the things you might see in the German Area, such as historic breeds of animals, food and farms.

Life was very different for children in the 19th century. See how important it was for children to help around the farm. Children will get a chance to try their hand at baking, using garden tools, and shaving shingles for use on the farm. Explore a sample of the things you might see in the German Area, such as historic breeds of animals, food and farms.

Why would people half a world away pack their belongings into a trunk and leave their homeland to come to America? Students learn the answers to thought-provoking questions as they pack a trunk or engage in traditional activities such as carding wool. At the same time they discover how hard-working immigrants transformed primitive homesteads into working farms. They'll also learn how one-room school education taught children not only their ABCs, but also how to be an American. Explore a sample of the things you might see in the Norwegian Area, such as a one room school and wool processing.

Explore the challenges of surviving in a harsh rural environment while visiting a Finnish farm. See how families in northwestern Wisconsin made different choices and how those choices affected their standard of living. Students will explore these decisions as they do some carpentry, assist with rug weaving or operate the "modern" washtub. During the two hour program, students will also get to work with the blacksmith. Explore a sample of the things you might see in the Finnish Area, such as hands-on activities, food and farms.

From the 1860s through the 1880s, Pleasant Ridge was settled by escaped or emancipated African American slaves, immigrant Europeans, and European Americans. Children will have a chance to imagine being an escaped slave, do rubbings in the recreated cemeteries, take home a family tree activity and visit the church to learn more about the Pleasant Ridge community.

An hour of intensive hands-on activities at Caldwell Farmers' Club Hall, including historic board games, toys, stilts, hoops and sticks, and interactive animal encounters. Explore the hands-on activities at the Caldwell Farmers' Club Hall.