Shifting Gears: A Cyclical History of Badger Bicycling, an exhibit based on the 2013 book Wheel Fever: How Wisconsin Became a Great Bicycling State by Jesse Gant and Nicholas Hoffman, published by Wisconsin Historical Society Press, opened at the Wisconsin Historical Museum in Madison in February.
The largest exhibit at the museum in 15 years, it features 23 bicycles, photos and interactive displays about the long, colorful, and sometimes contentious story of the growth and development of cycling in Wisconsin. It will be on display until October, when it moves to the History Museum at the Castle in Appleton, where Hoffman, a graduate of the department’s public history program, is Chief Curator.
Cyclists ride their bicycles past curious onlookers in Green Bay, Wisconsin, ca. 1890. Credit: Wisconsin Historical Society Image ID #2001