The leaves are changing, Halloween decorations are on the shelves, and the autumnal equinox occurs on Saturday. It's fall, my favorite season of the year. 

Wisconsin Logging Museum Closing for the Season

Open until Saturday, September 30

Wednesday - Saturday, 12:00 - 5:00 pm

There are just a few more days to explore the 1890s logging camp. When you step into the cook shanty, bunkhouse, barn, and blacksmith shop, you will get a taste of loggers experienced more than 100 years ago (though you will have a much warmer experience). Make sure to visit the Tall Tales room and see it before it gets a makeover this winter.

Admission included with membership. For admission rates, check out cvmuseum.com.

Carson Park 5 & 10

Saturday, October 28

The Carson Park 5 & 10 is many things -- race, social event, fundraiser, costume contest -- and it's for all ages. It also happens to be right outside the Chippewa Valley Museums' front doors.

Race options: 5K run or walk, 10-mile run, 1 mile and 1/4 kid's BOO-gie run or walk.

What's included in your registration:

• Chippewa Valley Railroad train rides for kids in costumes and adults with bib numbers

• Museum admission until 12:00pm

• Post-race snacks and one soda or beer (must be 21)

Proceeds from the event are split 50/50 with the Indianhead Track Club and help support the missions of both organizations. 

Thank you to sponsors Scheels, Festival Foods,Visit Eau Claire

Escape Room Fundraiser

September 30 - October 29

Tactical Escape 101 takes over the Schlegelmilch House basement for another creepy holiday escape room fundraiser. This year the story revolves around Krampus, the demon of Christmas. 

Location: Historic Schlegelmilch House, 517 S. Farwell Street

Cost: $140, 2-4 players, $35 each additional player up to 12 max.

Minimum age: 12
Reservations required. Bookings available Wednesday, Friday-Sunday, Sept. 30 - Oct. 29.

For questions contact Tactical Escape 101, 715-418-0012. For information about admission, reservations, and hours, visit tacticalescape101.com and select "Schlegelmilch CVM-Fundraiser"

Opening October 6th

Have You Heard?

From powwows to punk rock, and concertinas to concertos, this all-in-one exhibit and movie explores the experience of music in the Chippewa Valley.  Have You Heard? uses interview snippets, original music recordings, photos, video, objects and vignettes to showcase the diversity of historical and contemporary music traditions and genres in the Chippewa Valley.

Members and contributors have been invited to special private screenings to celebrate the opening of this one-of-a-kind exhibit. Starting October 6th, viewings of Have You Heard? will be included with regular museum admission.

If you're a member or contributor and didn't receive an invitation, please contact Dustyn Dubuque, d.dubuque@cvmuseum.com

Vintage Skills

All About Vintage Base Balls

Saturday, October 14

Corky Gaskell, former board member of the National Vintage Base Ball Association, will be at the museum on October 14 to share some of base ball's early history as it emerges as an organized sport in the 19th Century.

Program: Vintage Base Ball History, 2:30 - 3:30, included with museum admission. 30 seats available. Pre-registration is encouraged with walk-up registration available as space allows.

Workshop: Build Your Own Base Ball, 3:30 - 6:30. Limited to 8 participants. $30 members/ $40 non-members. Fee includes base ball history program at 2:30, materials, and instruction.

Contact Karen at k.jacobson@cvmuseum.com or 715-834-7871 with questions.

Members -- to receive discounts, log in prior to registering for lecture or workshop. You can reset your password & recover your user id by selecting "Need helping logging on?" under the Log On button. For additional log in assistance contact Jill York

American Red Cross Blood Drive

October 23, 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

If you're able to give blood, take the time to add this blood drive to your schedule. Make a blood donation appointment today by selecting the button below. Use Chippewa Valley Museum as the sponsor code. For registration assistance, contact Tim Hirsch (after 9/15)

Happy Autumn!

Peace,

Carrie Ronnander
Chippewa Valley Museums Executive Director

P.S. First, a correction. In my September 8th postscript I said that while in Boston, I  isited graveyards filled with soapstone markers. The gravestones weren't soapstone. They were slate.

I make errors. Most written errors occur because I am too hasty and don't take the time to properly proofread my work. But I also occasionally make errors in fact as well as historical interpretation. Online readers will correct me when the error is in a social media post.

Case in point. On December 30, 2022 I wrote about H.C. Putnam's house in a Then and Now post. The original entry is below.

Henry C. Putnam House, 704 Graham Ave, about 1890 (CVM 410000-0064-001)

Henry C. Putnam house, 704 S. River St (Graham Ave), about 1890. On January 26, 1952, the Eau Claire Daily Telegram reported, “Wreckers to Tear Down Oldest Mansion in the City.” The oldest mansion once belonged to Henry C. Putnam. Putnam built the house in 1862, renovated it extensively in 1882, and lived there until his death in 1912.

The Diocese of La Crosse bought the property in the mid-1940s. It considered building a new Eau Claire Catholic high school there, but went a different direction. A development company purchased the property from the Diocese, then tore down the "old mansion" which had been vacant since its last owner died in 1944.

Next on stage -- the Eau Claire YMCA. The YMCA bought the land then launched a fundraising campaign in 1954 to replace its outdated facility on Farwell & Gibson. A new YMCA opened on Graham Avenue in 1961.

Did you know H.C. Putnam was a huge proponent of the YMCA? He gave $20,000 in 1910 ($660,000 today) to help build the first YMCA on Farwell Street. It seems fitting his property became the site of a YMCA.

Eau Claire YMCA building, 27 December 2022

The evidence I gathered seemed to say Putnam's old house was vacated in 1944, so I went with what I had. I was wrong.  I was corrected with the comment shown in the screenshot below.

The post was updated to reflect this new information.

Integrity is one of the four organizational values adopted by the Chippewa Valley Museums. By integrity we mean:

CVM staff and volunteers will conduct themselves with honesty and respect in all interactions, approaching their respective duties with sincerity, intellectual integrity and compassion, aligning with professional codes of ethics, extending supportive accountability to others, and expecting it of themselves.

The above social media post had a small error. Whether an error is big or small, whether it has to do with historical fact or guest relations, know that myself and the rest of the Chippewa Valley Museums team will work to make things right. I will own the mistakes that belong to us and apologize when necessary. Thank you for continuing to trust and support the museum.

PPS - In case you're wondering, the other three organizational values are collaboration, inclusion, and stewardship.