Official Batman Playset by Ideal

Natalie Van Dam

Catalog Number: 1985.024.01

Copyright La Crosse County Historical Society

Batman was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and the superhero first appeared in the Detective Comics No. 27 in 1939, after the successful launch of Superman earlier that year. He was well received by comic book fans, and his own comic book title, “Batman,” was launched the very next year.

The Caped Crusader wouldn’t become a mainstay of pop culture until his television debut in 1966. The live-action TV show is what made him more visible, relatable and real to everyday Americans. This show also helped launch a line of Batman paraphernalia, including toys, accessories and action figures. One of the first toy sets was the Official Batman Playset by Ideal.

This set would have contained Batman, Robin, Wonder Woman, Superman, three arch-villains including the Joker, a robot, the Bat Plane, the Bat Car and a solar-ray weapon.

There were other Batman toy sets that were launched about the same time. Each set offered a different lineup of of heroes and villains; however, all had one thing in common — the superheroes were painted by hand, while the villains remained unpainted.

Some of the characters from this toy set are on display at the La Crosse County Historical Society.

The word “superhero” can be traced back to at least the early 1900s and was used to describe someone who battled everyday crime or major threats to humankind. It was someone who punished the wicked and protected the innocent. These heroes and icons also had their own flaws, which is what allowed people to be able to relate to them and inspired many people to overcome their own obstacles.

This article was originally published in the La Crosse Tribune.

This object can be viewed in our online collections database by clicking here.

Ruth Gundersen’s beaded purses

Ivy King

Catalog Number: 1984.084.01 and 1984.084.02

Copyright La Crosse County Historical Society

During World War II, the Nazis had their eyes on Norway, and on April 9, 1940, they invaded the neutral country. This land was valuable to Germany because it allowed for easier access to Swedish iron ore, it opened a larger naval front and it created a battlefield away from France.

The day before the Germans invaded, Ruth Wiese Engelsen Gundersen left her home in Bergen, Norway.

Ruth was born Sept. 17, 1917, in Bergen, a large, coastal city along the country’s southwestern coast that was at the center of trade and commerce. Although much of Ruth’s childhood was spent in Norway, she attended schools in England and Switzerland.

The 1940 Nazi invasion occurred after the United Kingdom and France mined Norwegian waters to halt German trade and shipping. On the first day of the German invasion, the Nazis took control of Bergen. Had Ruth waited even a day longer to leave her hometown, she likely would have been forced to remain there until after the war’s end because Germans controlled Norway until May 8, 1945.

Ruth was crossing the Atlantic Ocean when she first heard of the Nazi invasion of her home country. Throughout the war, she was unable to freely communicate with loved ones back home, and she only received occasional family letters through the Red Cross.

After arriving to the U.S., she met Thorolf Gundersen in New York City, a man who would become her husband after just a few months together. Thorolf was the seventh son of Adolf Gundersen, the founder of the Gundersen Health System.

The couple relocated many times during the war, but they eventually settled in the La Crosse area. Once here, Ruth became an important member of the community, where she was involved in the Lutheran Hospital Guild, the Investment Club and the League of Women Voters.

Ruth’s beaded bags were most likely acquired during her travels throughout Europe or during her years attending schools in foreign cities. Beaded bags were popular for centuries, but they were most famous during the 1920s. The popularity bled into the 1930s, when Ruth most likely bought hers. Her purses were purchased in Europe, most likely Germany or France.

The sheer number of beads creates a tapestry-like image. One of the beaded purses has a black-and-white beaded design that forms multiple animals, including a deer, a fox, a squirrel and a peacock. The beads also form flowers and geometric designs. The silver frame attached to the purse is decorated with corn, among other vegetables and fruit.

Gundersen’s other purse has a beaded, multicolored floral design with a crocheted drawstring. The flowers are on an ecru background, with a beige silk crepe lining. The center of the purse has a black tassel with gold accents.

Later in her life, Ruth saw the historical significance of these purses, and she donated them to the La Crosse Historical Society. These beaded purses and others items can be found in the society’s online collections database.

This article was originally published in the La Crosse Tribune.
This object can be viewed in our online collections database by clicking here.
 

Maj. Gen. C.C. Washburn’s Civil War field desk

Amy Vach

Catalog Number: 2017.fic.699

Copyright La Crosse County Historical Society

At first glance, this appears to be a simple wooden crate with writing on the side. As soon as it’s rotated onto its side and opened, however, it goes from being a simple crate to an easily transportable Civil War field desk used by a general.

Cadwallader Colden Washburn was born in Livermore, Maine, in 1818. During his early adulthood, he moved to the Midwest and moved between Illinois and Iowa, until finally settling in Mineral Point, Wis., in 1852. Washburn worked as a schoolmaster, surveyor, lawyer and U.S. congressman before settling in La Crosse in 1861.

In February 1861, Washburn served as a delegate to the Washington Peace Conference in a final attempt to prevent the Civil War. The conference served as a good-faith attempt to reunite the United States and resolve differences between the two sides through compromise. The South already had planned to secede from the Union and was preparing a new government, and ultimately a decision about slavery could not be made that would satisfy both sides.

A few months later, in April 1861, the Civil War started after a Confederate attack on Fort Sumter. Washburn accepted an appointment as colonel of the 2nd Cavalry and led it to Arkansas in spring 1862. He was promoted to brigadier general in June 1862, and was put in command of the entire 2nd Cavalry Brigade.

Less than a year later, in March 1863, Washburn was commissioned a major general with command over all the Union cavalry in West Tennessee.

After the war, Washburn left the military and returned to Congress from 1867 until 1870. In 1866 he co-founded the first flour mill in Minneapolis, the Washburn-Crosby Co. Today that flour mill is known as General Mills.

Washburn also served as the 11th governor of Wisconsin from 1872 to 1874. He died in Eureka Springs, Ark., in 1882, while recuperating from an illness. This former governor and Civil War general is buried in La Crosse’s Oak Grove Cemetery.

In 1885, more than three years after his death, the Washburn estate erected the obelisk beside his grave. The 55-ton monument is engraved on all four sides of its base with a description of Washburn’s accomplishments. He made significant contributions as a public servant to his home of La Crosse, to the state of Wisconsin and to the United States, through his military service, political career and generous philanthropy.

The black text on the front of the field desk reads “Maj. Genl. C.C. Washburn U.S. Vols.” and dates from after his promotion in 1863 to major general. It would have aided Washburn in organizing the paperwork required of a major general. This desk would have likely been used by the general for the writing of correspondence and reports.

Washburn’s obelisk commemorates his life story and ensures he will not be forgotten. This field desk does the exact same thing without weighing more than 100,000 pounds. It is a part of the story of Cadwallader Washburn’s life and La Crosse’s involvement in the Civil War.

This article was originally published in the La Crosse Tribune on July 22, 2017.

This object can be viewed in our online collections database by clicking here.