Tracey Lee Roberts

Senior Lecturer Emerita

UW-Platteville | Liberal Arts and Education | Social Sciences - Department of History

Hometown: Chicago & Driftless Region

Tracey Lee Roberts, Senior Lecturer Emerita (History Department, University of Wisconsin- Platteville), has been researching and writing about Southwestern Wisconsin and the old Lead-Zinc Mining District for three decades. Her history talks engage audience in the stories of the people who occupied this part of the Driftless Region from the period of 1750-1865.

Topics include:

Native American economies and land use

Native resistance to white colonial encroachment

Illegal enslavement

Federal mining laws

The processes of mining and smelting lead ore

Ethnic diversity and community creation

Religion, culture, and politics

Housing in the mining camps of the 19th century

Tracey is writing a book on The Life of Henry Dodge, Wisconsin’s first territorial governor, sharing untold stories about his motivations and sometimes questionable deeds.

A speaker fee applies.

Talks:

Badger Huts and Other Early Housing in the Lead Mine District

The diverse peoples who came into the Lead Mine District prior to the Civil War built distinct housing types. From Wigwams to brick buildings, each group used local materials to create their villages and cities. “Badger Huts” still dot the old lead mine region today. These small arched huts are becoming increasingly rare, but they offer a glimpse into the lifeways of early lead miners in Wisconsin.

The Life of Henry Dodge, Wisconsin's First Territorial Governor

I offer 5 distinct talks related to the Life of Henry Dodge, Wisconsin’s First Territorial Governor

1. Treachery and Cunning: The Dodge Family in the Illinois Country

2. Henry Dodge in the Lead Mine District

3. Colonel Henry Dodge: United States Regiment of Dragoons

4. Henry Dodge: First Territorial Governor of Wisconsin

5. Henry Dodge: Wisconsin Politician

Pulpits and Pickaxes: The Primitive Methodists in the Lead Mine District

The evangelical, home-grown lay preaching of the Primitive Methodists suited the self-governing character of the 19th century lead miners who saw few preachers in their mining enclaves. In the context of British migration, I will explore the Herculean task of starting a new church in a frontier mining region.

Why is Wisconsin Called the Badger State?

It’s not just a legend that 19th century lead miners lived in caves or dens like the badger. Learn how Wisconsin became the Badger State and see photos of badger huts once inhabited by miners.

Ordinary Equality: Women’s Suffrage in Wisconsin

Most American women won the right to vote in 1920 with the ratification of the 19th Amendment. What did it take for women to gain this fundamental freedom and how did Wisconsin women and their male allies help the cause? Learn about this fascinating and complex Wisconsin story which culminated in bringing greater equality to American society.

Forces for Good: Abolitionists in the Old Lead Mine Region

While Slavery was illegal in Wisconsin, black people and people of color were enslaved by the early white elites in the lead mining district. Preachers and reformers fought back against the practice, finally defeating the enslavers in the 1840s.

Mary Jane Goes to Boarding School: The Letters, 1863-65

A lead mining and smelting family in Lafayette County chose to send their fifteen year old daughter to a boarding-school in New Jersey. Through their intimate correspondence from 1863-1865, we learn their motivations, trials, and troubles as the Civil War raged on.

The Old Lead Mine District: A Flash Point on the Cultural Landscape

Native and Métis peoples of many nations actively mined ore in the old Upper Mississippi Lead Mine District before miners of diverse backgrounds flooded into the region in the early 19th century to vie for the extensive galena deposits. The Lead District became a critical scene of conflict which touched off a dramatic transformation of the cultural and physical landscape.

The History of Immigration and Settlement in Southwest Wisconsin

Southwestern Wisconsin continues to offer many advantages to peoples from diverse backgrounds. We will explore the intraregional migration of indigenous peoples to this area. Then the rush of Anglo-Americans and Europeans during the lead and zinc mining eras, as well as free and enslaved people of color who established communities in the area. Recently, there has been a migration of Amish families and immigration of Spanish-speaking groups. Our corner of the state has always been a place of great diversity of peoples, languages, and religions.