Chippewa Valley Museum continues “Collecting the Valley”

Program series explores a local 1910s magazine, Eau Claire in its charter year, and a model train display 1930s Eau Claire at the confluence

EAU CLAIRE, WIS. – This winter, Chippewa Valley Museum continues sharing collections- and exhibit-based programs for both virtual and in-person audiences. Packaged as a series under the title “Collecting the Valley,” the monthly programs are tied to Chippewa Valley Museum’s recently acquired collections and newer exhibits. The series begins this month with “Rosenkrans Magazine: The Truth as We See It,” presented by the museum’s archivist, Jodi Kiffmeyer, on Tuesday, November 15th at 6:30 pm. Advance registration is required and available through cvmuseum.com.

Kiffmeyer’s program spotlights a recently acquired collection of magazine issues from a woman-led publication in the Chippewa Valley. From 1916 to 1922, Helen Rosenkrans championed development of the Chippewa Valley through Rosenkrans Magazine, which was renamed in 1919 as Chippewa Valley Magazine. As Kiffmeyer explains, “The magazine focuses […] particularly [on the development of] the cutover land in the northern part of the region. In every issue, Helen talks about creating good roads in rural areas and bringing settlers into the lands that were being sold and/or abandoned by the logging companies and railroads.” But the magazine also included coverage of political issues –especially women’s rights- and featured selections of poetry and fiction.

Both personal and timely connections drive Kiffmeyer’s enthusiasm to look at the Chippewa Valley through the lens of Rosenkrans Magazine. “The issues [Rosenkrans] wrote about affected my ancestors, some of whom were contemporaneously farming in the Chippewa Valley on former lumber company land. Many of these factors still affect people living in the region, which makes it important to understand that part of our history.”

The complete set of this fourth Collecting the Valley program series takes place on third Tuesdays in November, December, and January at 6:30 pm as follows:

November 15th: “Rosenkrans Magazine: The Truth as We See It” with Archivist Jodi Kiffmeyer. Explore topics of concern in the Chippewa Valley through the lens of Helen Rosenkrans’ 1916-1922 magazine publication.

December 20th: “Living in Eau Claire in 1872” with Curator of Collections Diana Peterson. Go beyond the museum’s Then and Now: 150 Years of Change in Eau Claire exhibit and discover people, places and projects tied to the City of Eau Claire’s charter year.

January 17th: “All Aboard: 1930s Eau Claire and the Milwaukee Road Railroad” with model railroader John Suppon. Learn the history and process used in developing an interactive H.O.-scale railroad layout for display at Chippewa Valley Museum depicting early 1930s Eau Claire at the confluence.

A $25 registration fee for the three-program package includes live-program participation and access to program recordings ($15/package for museum members). $10 individual program registration is available (live access only, no recordings). Paid registration is required for participation in “Collecting the Valley” programs, with both in-person and virtual options available. Registration and details for all three programs are available online at cvmuseum.com.

About Chippewa Valley Museum: The Chippewa Valley Museum is open year-round in Eau Claire’s Carson Park and connects people to the community and inspires curiosity through collecting, preserving, and sharing the region’s historical and cultural resources.

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