The newest installment in WPT's ongoing local history project, Wisconsin Hometown Stories: Eau Claire tells the story of a city both shaped and empowered by the convergence of two rivers. The history of the Wisconsin city has been influenced by its connection to the Eau Claire and Chippewa Rivers, with industry springing forth from its waters and a community that has grown from the inventiveness, creativity and adventurous spirit of its residents.

Film, archival images, and interviews with historians, local citizens and experts illustrate rich stories of Eau Claire's development and its role as an innovator in global manufacturing, international winter athletic competitions, music and the arts.

Viewers will explore the history of Eau Claire through stories that follow the origins of the native people who lived on the land; the growth of timber milling, tire manufacturing and cookware industries that provided employment for residents; a feathered mascot who led area troops into Civil War battles and became an icon of the state; the influential role the city played in the fight for civil rights in baseball; and the ways the rivers' confluence is now inspiring a cultural renaissance in the city's downtown.

Find out more about Wisconsin history at WisconsinHometownStories.org.

Wisconsin Hometown Stories is produced as a partnership of the Wisconsin Historical Society and Wisconsin Public Television.

Wisconsin Hometown Stories: Eau Claire is funded in part by major support from Pablo Properties, Dick Cable Family, and Ruder Ware, with support from Holiday Vacations, Presto Foundation, John E. Kuenzl Foundation, Mark and Emily Blaskey (in memory of Cheri Uelmen), Mel and Leann Breed, Sam and Suzy Murty, and Trust Point. Additional support from Royal Credit Union, The Eau Claire Community Foundation, including support from the Scobie Family Fund, the Daniel and Mary Ann Ogan Educational Fund and the Daniel F. and Margaret J. Brown Memorial Fund, Friends of Wisconsin Public Television and the Wisconsin History Fund, supported in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

WPT is a service of the Educational Communications Board and University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Wisconsin Public Television is a place to grow through learning on WHA-TV, Madison; WPNE-TV, Green Bay; WHRM-TV, Wausau; WLEF-TV, Park Falls; WHLA- TV, La Crosse; and WHWC-TV, Menomonie-Eau Claire.

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