Stagecoach and Tavern Tales of the Old Northwest

This book was originally published in 1930, and is the work of Harry Ellsworth Cole (1861-1928), one of Wisconsin's foremost local historians. Mr. Cole was interested in everything having to do with Wisconsin, and in this book, he traces first the development of the roads and how they helped develop the state, and then he gives a social history of the taverns that lined those roads.For the most part this book reads like a social history, rather than an academic history. It's not a collection of names and dates, famous people and famous events. And there are no recipes here, either. Instead, it is a collection of stories, often quite funny, that give you a read feel for the roads and taverns of yester-year Wisconsin. I found this to be a fun and interesting read; not heavy history, but history-lite. I loved it!