Wisconsin Death Trip By Michael Lesy - 1973 First Edition Hardback With Dust Jacket - Illustrated Images

Wisconsin Death Trip charts a myriad of numerous grim and bizarre occurrences that took place in and around Jackson County, Wisconsin—in particular, the city of Black River Falls—between 1885 and 1910. In addition to a disintegration of the local economy after the closure of several industrial mines, the populace is plagued by a diphtheria epidemic that claims the lives of numerous children, as well as a series of violent crimes, murders, suicides, arson, religious delusions, mental illness, and superstitions. The vandalism crimes of Mary Sweeny are also showcased throughout.

The book is divided in five sections, with the opening and closing chapters focusing primarily on births, children, and child death; the middle three chapters focus on an array of incidents involving adults. The various occurrences are relayed via actual articles originally published in the local newspaper, the Badger State Banner, by editor Frank Cooper and his son George, as well as written documents from a medical records keeper from Mendota State Hospital, a town historian, and a town gossip. Lesys own narration is also incorporated, along with selections from writings by Hamlin Garland, Sinclair Lewis, and Glenway Wescott.

Accompanying the text are approximately 200 photographs and portraits by Charles Van Schaick, a German immigrant who served as the Justice of Peace and town photographer for Black River Falls. The book emphasizes the harsh elements of Midwestern rural life during the expansion of the American Frontier and imminent urbanization, and their role in sordid incidents that unfolded in and around the community.

** First Edition Hardback With Dust Jacket **
Pages are very clean, spine is tight , jacket has some fray but in very good condition