(CHIMES)
(MARIAH)
IN THIS EPISODE,
WE ARE EXPLORING 4
HISTORIC DOWNTOWN TOURS.
CARE FOR A STROLL?
(DICK ROSE)
HELLO AND WELCOME TO
DISCOVER WISCONSIN!
(♪ ♪ )
ASHLAND SITS ON THE
SHORES OF LAKE SUPERIOR
AT CHEQUAMEGON BAY IN
NORTHERN WISCONSIN.
THE FIRST SETTLERS CAME
TO ASHLAND IN 1854,
BUT A SERIES OF TROUBLES
DROVE MOST OF THEM AWAY
BY 1870.
PROSPERITY LATER
RETURNED IN THE FORM OF
LOGGING AND IRON ORE
MINING IN THE AREA,
AND ASHLAND QUICKLY CAME
TO BE.
HERE WE HAVE ANOTHER
COMMUNITY FULL OF
BREATHTAKING ART,
HOWEVER THE MURALS HERE
IN ASHLAND ARE CREATED
BY JUST TWO LOCAL
ARTISTS.
SUE MARTINSON STARTED
PAINTING MURALS WITH
FELLOW ARTIST KELLY
MEREDITH 21 YEARS AGO,
WHEN THEY RECEIVED A
GRANT FOR THE FIRST
HISTORICAL MURAL TO BE
MADE DOWNTOWN.
TODAY,
THE CITY IS FULL OF
THEIR WORK.
(SUE)
I DO MURAL TOURS,
AND QUITE OFTEN THE
TOURISTS WILL SAY TO ME
WHEN THEY'RE DONE,
OH MY GOODNESS,
I DIDN'T KNOW ASHLAND
HAD SUCH FABULOUS
HISTORY.
AND I TELL THEM,
YOUR COMMUNITY HAS
FABULOUS HISTORY.
YOU JUST HAVEN'T PAID
ATTENTION TO IT.
BECAUSE ALL OF OUR
MURALS IN ASHLAND ARE
HISTORICAL AND BASED ON
ACTUAL HISTORICAL
ACCOUNTS AND
PHOTOGRAPHS,
THAT REQUIRES A LOT OF
RESEARCH.
AND BECAUSE QUITE OFTEN
NOW COMMUNITY PEOPLE
SUGGEST A MURAL,
THEN WE'LL WORK WITH
THOSE COMMUNITY PEOPLE
TO HELP DEVELOP THE
DESIGN AND RESEARCH AND
GET THOSE PHOTOGRAPHS.
ONCE THAT'S DONE,
THEN THE PAINTING
PROCESS STARTS.
(MARIAH)
SO THIS IS THE
LUMBERJACK MURAL?
(SUE)
CORRECT.
(MARIAH)
FEELS VERY NORTH WOODS
APPROPRIATE.
(SUE)
IT IS.
(MARIAH)
TELL ME A LITTLE BIT
ABOUT THE HISTORY AND
WHY THIS WAS SELECTED AS
A THEME OF THIS
PARTICULAR MURAL.
(SUE)
THIS WAS A WALL THAT
WAS SUGGESTED TO US BY
THE BUSINESS OWNER.
AND THEY SAID,
‘YOU CAN DO ANYTHING
THAT YOU WANT'.
AND SO WE THOUGHT,
‘WHAT WAS A BIG
INDUSTRY?' AND
OBVIOUSLY,
THE LUMBER INDUSTRY WAS
HUGE IN ALL OF NORTHERN
WISCONSIN.
AND SO THAT'S WHAT WE
DECIDED WE WOULD DO.
AND THEN WE STARTED TO
TRY AND FIGURE OUT HOW
DO WE SHOW SOMEBODY
WALKING BY OR DRIVING
THROUGH HOW BIG AN
IMPACT THE LOGGERS MADE
IN THIS COMMUNITY.
(MARIAH)
WHEN YOU LOOK AT A
MURAL,
I THINK IT RAISES SO
MANY QUESTIONS NOT ALL
JUST OUTRIGHTLY OBVIOUS.
FROM WHAT YOU CAN TELL,
THERE'S A STORY.
(SUE)
CORRECT.
(MARIAH)
BEHIND WHAT YOU'RE
SEEING.
AND THEN THAT- I'M
GUESSING THAT'S A BIG
PART OF THE REASON I ASK
WHY YOU OFFER TOURS LIKE
THIS ONE?
(SUE)
IT REALLY IS.
WE STARTED REFERRING TO
THEM AS OUTDOOR MUSEUMS,
WHICH IS REALLY WHAT
THEY ARE.
AND I LIKE TO THINK,
THAT THESE PEOPLE IN
THESE BUILDINGS REALLY
STILL EXIST AND THAT
THEY WILL JUST STEP OFF
THE WALL AND TELL
SOMEBODY A STORY.
THE TROUBLE WAS,
WE NEEDED A BROCHURE FOR
OTHER PEOPLE TO
UNDERSTAND THAT.
(MARIAH)
ALRIGHT SUE,
THIS IS THE WOMEN'S
MURAL.
(SUE)
CORRECT.
(MARIAH)
I LIKE IT ALREADY.
HOW MANY WOMEN DO WE
HAVE UP HERE?
(SUE)
WE HAVE THIRTY TWO
WOMEN.
(MARIAH)
THIRTY TWO.
(SUE)
WE ACTUALLY GOT
SUBMISSIONS ACROSS ERAS,
UP UNTIL MODERN TIME.
WE HAVE NURSES,
TEACHERS,
HOMEMAKERS,
CIVIC LEADERS,
EVERYTHING.
EVERYBODY WANTED TO
DOCUMENT THE RAILROADS
OR THE LOGGING INDUSTRY.
AND SO NECESSARILY THEY
WERE MOSTLY MEN.
BUT WHO IS ALWAYS IN THE
BACKGROUND?
WHO WAS ALWAYS HELPING
AND DOING AND PICKING UP
THE SLACK WERE THE
WOMEN?
AND THAT'S WHAT THESE
WOMEN DID.
AND THAT'S WHY WE
DEPICTED THEM ON THIS
MURAL.
(MARIAH)
I LOVE IT.
AS SUE LIKES TO SAY;
THE WALLS ARE ALIVE WITH
THE PAST HERE IN
ASHLAND.
AND WITH SUCH A DEEP
HISTORY,
THERE ARE SO MANY MORE
STORIES WAITING TO BE
TOLD HERE.
(SUE)
PEOPLE WILL SAY TO ME,
WELL,
YOU SHOULD BE PAINTING
IN NEW YORK OR CHICAGO.
NO.
PEOPLE FROM CHICAGO
SHOULD BE COMING HERE
AND FINDING OUT WHAT THE
HISTORY OF A SMALL TOWN
IS LIKE.
(MARIAH)
HEAD TO
DISCOVERWISCONSIN.COM TO
CHECK OUT SOME OF THE
ACTION BEHIND THE SCENES
OF THIS EPISODE.