Advertising has existed since the dawn of the marketplace. Advertising in local newspapers offers viewers insights into such topics as cost of living, consumer culture and the local economy during ages past. A recent computer scanning project at the Wisconsin Historical Society, made possible with a generous grant from the La Crosse Community Foundation in memory of Karl Bramschreiber, supported a large scanning project of past issues of the Bangor Independent from 1888 to 1970. Paging through these ads reveals how much we have changed technologically and otherwise. The hard copy newspaper as we know it is passing away in the face of the 24 hour news cycle and the emergence of ever faster means of global communicatons. The Bangor Independent captured a certain sense about who we were as a community. The last issue came off the press almost 50 years ago. To this day, the Bangor Independent represents one of the most important primary sources about Bangor's past. Our first installment centers on the closing years of the 19th century with major emphases on 1895-1898 since the majority of issues from other years in the decade remain extant. The Bangor and Area Historical Society (BAHS) thereby appeals to area citizens who might hold these missing issues of the Bangor Independent in their collections. BAHS hopes that your viewing of these newspaper ads constituted a moving experience for you. This is why the last entry for this exhibt is an advertisement for a laxative. Future virtual exhibits will follow up with Bangor Independent ads from the 20th century. This current exhibit posted July 21, 2018.
