Jim Skibo

We Live Up Here Contributor

James M. Skibo is Emeritus Distinguished Professor of Anthropology at Illinois State University. He is the author of five books, including two written for the general audience, Ants for Breakfast, and Bear Cave Hill.

He specializes in the archaeology of the Great Lakes Region and he is currently the Director of the Grand Island Archaeological Program.

He and his wife, Becky, are junior high basketball coaches and they live in White Lake, Wisconsin with their dog, Lucky.

Master Furniture Maker Shares His Skills with the Next Generation

By • Aug 30, 2019
Photo courtesy of Jim Skibo

Arts and crafts style furniture⁠—first produced in the early 1900s⁠—is considered by many to be the hallmark of American design and artisanship. Original pieces can go for millions of dollars at auction and furniture made in that style today can be sold for tens of thousands of dollars.

Today WXPR contributor Jim Skibo continues our We Live Up Here series with the story of a man in Antigo who has mastered the style at a unique time in his life.

DATCP Hosting Hearings On Rules Governing Livestock Operations

By • Aug 29, 2019
Pixabay.com RyanMcGuire

The Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection is having a series of public hearings on changes to ATCP 51, the regulatory rule governing the approval of large livestock facilities.

They are traveling the  state seeking public comment on changes to ATCP 51 in response to the rise in the number of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, or CAFOs. CAFOs, facilities with 500 or more animals, have come under scrutiny for the noxious odors from manure storage as well as for the contamination of water wells.

How Did Neighborhoods in the Upper Peninsula Get Their Names?

By • Aug 8, 2019
Library of Congress

We're spending today and tomorrow looking at some aspects of the historical influence of mining in the Upper Peninsula, specifically in the Ironwood area.

Today we'll be answering a listener question. Tomorrow, we'll be remembering Andrew Carnegie and his influence in Ironwood ahead of the 100th anniversary of his death. (Listen to Part Two about the significance of Andrew Carnegie in the Ironwood area here.)

One of the Best Fishing Lures in America Is Made in Antigo Using Squirrel Tails

By & • Jul 5, 2019
Jim Skibo / WXPR Public Radio

We continue our We Live Up Here series this week with a story of a family-owned fishing lure manufacturer in Antigo that uses squirrel tail hair on their famous Mepps spinners.

Jim Skibo has the story.

This Castle in Tomahawk Has Been 30 Years in the Making

By & • May 17, 2019
Jim Skibo

We continue our We Live Up Here series this week with a story about an ambitious DIY project that has been 30 years in the making.

The story comes in response to a listener question to our Curious North series. Dennis Marquardt from Tomahawk asks: What is up with the castle on Killarney Lake?

Jim Skibo has the story.

Antigo Native Moves Back Home to Become an Organic Apple Grower

By & • Apr 5, 2019
Courtesty of Grandview Orchard

There is a growing market for locally grown food produced without the use of synthetic chemicals.

In Antigo, the 100-year-old Grandview Orchard in Antigo is slowly being transformed to organic production.

Jim Skibo continues our We Live Up Here series with the story.

Have you ever dreamed of quitting your job and buying a farm? Lisa Rettinger has done just that. Four years ago, she quit her job in the Twin Cities and purchased a 110-year-old apple orchard just a few miles east of Antigo.