42 Vintage Photos of Wisconsin Hotels and Restaurants in the 1950s and 1960s

Wisconsin is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north.

The bulk of Wisconsin’s population live in areas situated along the shores of Lake Michigan. The largest city, Milwaukee, anchors its largest metropolitan area, followed by Green Bay and Kenosha, the third- and fourth-most populated Wisconsin cities, respectively. The state capital, Madison, is currently the second-most populated and fastest growing city in the state. Wisconsin is divided into 72 counties and as of the 2020 census had a population of nearly 5.9 million.

Wisconsin’s geography is diverse, having been greatly impacted by glaciers during the Ice Age with the exception of the Driftless Area. The Northern Highland and Western Upland along with a part of the Central Plain occupies the western part of the state, with lowlands stretching to the shore of Lake Michigan. Wisconsin is third to Ontario and Michigan in the length of its Great Lakes coastline. The northern portion of the state is home to the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest.

At the time of European contact the area was inhabited by Algonquian and Siouan nations, and today is home to eleven federally recognized tribes. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, many European settlers entered the state, most of whom emigrated from Germany and Scandinavia. Wisconsin remains a center of German American and Scandinavian American culture, particularly in respect to its cuisine, with foods such as bratwurst and kringle. Wisconsin is home to one UNESCO World Heritage Site, comprising two of the most significant buildings designed by Wisconsin-born architect Frank Lloyd Wright: his studio at Taliesin near Spring Green and his Jacobs I House in Madison.

The state is one of the nation’s leading dairy producers and is known as “America’s Dairyland”; it is particularly famous for its cheese. The state is also famous for its beer, particularly and historically in Milwaukee, most notably as the headquarters of the Miller Brewing Company. Wisconsin has some of the most permissive alcohol laws in the country and is well known for its drinking culture. Its economy is dominated by manufacturing, healthcare, information technology, and agriculture; specifically dairy, cranberries and ginseng. Tourism is also a major contributor to the state’s economy. The gross domestic product in 2020 was $348 billion. (Wikipedia)

Here below is a cool photo collection that shows what hotels and restaurants of Wisconsin looked like in the 1950s and 1960s

Paul Bunyan Logging Camp Cook Shanty, Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin
Paul Bunyan Logging Camp Cook Shanty, Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin
Paul Bunyan Logging Camp Cook Shanty, Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin
Pfister Hotel & Tower at 424 East Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Ponderosa Motel, Wausau, Wisconsin
Quality Courts Motel, US 12 & 18 at I-90, Madison, Wisconsin
Rest-Well Motel at U.S. Highways 12 – 16, Tomah, Wisconsin
Roger Williams Inn, Green Lake, Wisconsin
Surf Wood Motel & Restaurant, Luxemburg, Wisconsin
The Barn, Baraboo, Wisconsin
The Milwaukee Inn at 916 East State Street,- Milwaukee, Wisconsin
The Rigadoon Room of the Edgewater Hotel, Madison, Wisconsin
Town-Campus Motel at Frances St., Madison, Wisconsin
Wine and Dine at Higgins Hobnob, Racine, Wisconsin
Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant and Butik, Sister Bay, Wisconsin
Algiers Motel at 19035 W. Bluemound Road, Waukesha, Wisconsin
Arrowhead Restaurant, Winneconne, Wisconsin
Auerbach’s Shady Lawn Motel, Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin
B & M Cafeteria, 14th Street at Michigan Ave., Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Barker Lake Lodge and Golf Course, Winter, Wisconsin
Buster’s Cheese House at Highways 8 & 63, Turtle Lake, Wisconsin
Clayton House Motel at 5005 Washington Ave., Racine, Wisconsin
Colonial Acres Motel, Janesville, Wisconsin
Colonial Motel at 606 Broadway, Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin
Country House Motel, Spooner, Wisconsin
Country Kitchen at Hwy. 13, Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin
Denniston House, Cassville, Wisconsin
Doyle’s Motel at 409 Broadway, Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin
Driftwood Motel at 2200 East 2nd St., Superior, Wisconsin
Fischer’s Restaurant and Cocktail Bar, Lake Delton, Wisconsin
Henny Penny Kitchen Inne, Lake Delton, Wisconsin
Heritage House at Route 151 N.E., Madison, Wisconsin
Holiday Inn at 4402 E. Washington Avenue, Madison, Wisconsin
Holiday Inn West at Wisconsin 100 between Highways I-24, Wisconsin 30, U.S. 16, and U.S. 18, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Holiday Inn, Stevens Point, Wisconsin
Holiday Motel, Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin
Karl Ratzsch at 320 E. Mason St., Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Millies Pancake Haus, Delavan, Wisconsin
Millies Pancake Haus, Delavan, Wisconsin
Millies Pancake Haus, Delavan, Wisconsin
Northway Motel & Restaurant at Hwy. 41 and Grove Street, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
Nu-Cafe, Augusta, Wisconsin
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