Gary Entz
Commentator - Northwoods Moment in HistoryIn addition to being a historian and educator, Gary R. Entz serves on WXPR's Board of Directors and writes WXPR's A Northwoods Moment in History which is heard Wednesdays on WXPR's Morning Edition and All Things Considered.
After serving six years in the US Navy, he returned to college and earned a B.A. in history from Bethel College, Kansas. He earned an M.A. in history from James Madison University, Virginia, and a Ph.D. ftom the University of Utah. He is the author of "Llewellyn Castle: A Worker's Cooperative on the Great Plains," University of Nebraska Press, 2013. He and his wife Ocie Kilgus have made the Rhinelander area their home since 2009.
-
The settlers from Kentucky who came to Forest County at the turn of the century transformed the region. But a few got involved in illegal activities, and one small group created a large enough ruckus that the National Guard got involved. -
In the days before recorded music, if anyone wanted to listen to music they had to sing or learn to play an instrument. The fiddle was an especially popular choice for long winter nights in Northwoods lumber camps. -
A recent question on the television game show Jeopardy! Wanted to know what the most boring year in the twentieth century was. The answer was 1954, and more specifically, the most boring day was April 11, 1954. Was it really that boring, including here in the Northwoods? -
In the past Halloween was a time of pranks and petty vandalism, and in 1931 Rhinelander tried a new idea to put a stop to it all. -
Most shelterbelts date to the 1930s, but one Northwoods farmer recognized their benefits long before that. -
The Northwoods has produced many remarkable people. While many thrive in northern Wisconsin and never want to live anyplace else, others must leave to reach their full potential. Winifred Dunn is undoubtedly one of the most extraordinary women ever to come out of the Northwoods. -
The black bear is a living symbol of Wisconsin’s Northwoods. Summer visitors thrill at seeing one, and hunters look forward to the opportunity to take part in a seasonal bear hunt. Black bears are important to the Northwoods, but in the not-so-distant past they were seen as more of a nuisance with hunters taking unlimited numbers. -
In the United States, the first great ventriloquist was Harry E. Lester, and Lester considered the Northwoods to be his home. -
In the United States, the first great ventriloquist was Harry E. Lester, and Lester considered the Northwoods to be his home.
-
Railroad accidents were common in the late nineteenth century. Because safety was an issue, some train robbers in the Northwoods thought they could use it to their advantage.
