The History of Wisconsin, Volume I: From Exploration to Statehood

Published in 1973, this first volume in the History of Wisconsin series remains the definitive work on Wisconsin's beginnings, from the arrival of the French explorer Jean Nicolet in 1634, to the attainment of statehood in 1848. This volume explores how Wisconsin's Native American inhabitants, early trappers, traders, explorers, and many immigrant groups paved the way for the territory to become a more permanent society. Including nearly two dozen maps as well as illustrations of territorial Wisconsin and portraits of early residents, this volume provides an in-depth history of the beginnings of the state.

Alice E. Smith was born in Grantsburg, Wisconsin in 1896. In 1923 she received a B.A., and in 1926 an M.A., from the University of Minnesota, where she worked as an assistant at the university press. At the Minnesota Historical Society she served as a research and editorial assistannt on the multi-volume History of Minnesota. From 1929 until 1946, Miss Smith was chief of the maps and manuscripts division of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin. She became the Society's director of research in 1947 and held that post until her retirement in 1965. Her books, all published by the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, include James Duane Doty: Frontier Promoter (1954): George Smith's Money: A Scottish Investor in America (1966); and Millstone and Saw: The Origins of Neenah-Menasha (1967).