“Attendees will have a chance to learn how Eau Claire connected the wider Chippewa Valley with one of the wealthiest universities in the country.”
-Archivist Jodi Kiffmeyer
Cornell University’s Land Agency Office in Eau Claire, Wisconsin: Outpost of an Educational Financial Empire, 1877-1904, Talk by Jon Parmenter, Thursday, July 27, 6:30-7:30 pm
Cornell University received nearly one million acres of public land from the United States government as New York State’s designated “land-grant” university under the terms of the Morrill Act of 1862. University founder Ezra Cornell used this federal donation to select over one-half million acres of prime pine timberland in the State of Wisconsin. To optimize financial returns on these holdings, the University operated a staffed, storefront retail land agency at various locations in Eau Claire from 1877 to 1904. This lecture will explain the role played by the Eau Claire office in the broader history of Cornell University’s ascent to one of the wealthiest universities in the nation at the turn of the twentieth century. Jon Parmenter teaches early American and Native American history at Cornell University. He is currently completing a book entitled Dispossessed: Cornell University’s Origins in Indian Country. The program is included with museum admission.
Walking Tour: Eau Claire’s Forest Hill Cemetery, Part III, August 3rd or 17th, 6-7:30 pm Join Bob Gough and Greg Kocken for a new look at previously unexplored markers and biographies in Forest Hill Cemetery. Choose either date – the tour is the same both days. $10 for adults, $5 youth/students; free for CVM members. Each tour is limited to 20 registered participants. Register through the online calendar at cvmuseum.com. Start location and other details will be emailed to registrants the Wednesday prior to their tour. Contact Angela at a.allred@cvmuseum.com or 715-834-7871 with questions.
Play Ball! Around the Chippewa Valley, Tuesday, August 29
Phase Three of the Play Ball Exhibit series brings stories from around the Chippewa Valley. Visitors will get to know the Menomonie Blue Caps and their 1860s “base ball” rules, Andy Pafko and his 1952 Topps baseball card, Burleigh Grimes and his spit ball, and how the Vavra boys grew up with a passion for baseball. In addition, learn about the Chippewa River Baseball League that has been playing ball since 1908; cheer on the Herald Reporters, Chippewa Falls’ WWII-era women’s softball team; and watch a Hallie baseball program grow from a small leased field to a major complex with seven fields. This exhibit is included with regular admission to the Chippewa Valley Museum.
Ken Syzmanski, Baseball Stories and Ballpark Songs, Tuesday, August 29, 6:30-7:30–pm
Join singer/guitarist Derick Black and Eau Claire Writer-in-Residence Ken Szymanski for songs and stories all about baseball. Szymanski (author of Homefield Advantage and Sit Down and Stay Awhile) will read three nonfiction baseball stories, while Black provides the soundtrack with Americana versions of some ballpark classics. This presentation weaves the magic of baseball with the bonds of family—all with humor, heart, and plenty of play-by-play action. The program is included with regular museum admission.
