the first european to come to wisconsin, gene nikolai.omeone told him they thought there was a northwest passage way. he came up through the great lakes. couldn't get closer than green bay. he fired his pistol into the sky and announced his arrival. when he gets here, it's 1634. this part of the world hasn't invented guns yet. the indians thought they were thunder sticks. >>> the gentleman on my left behind the desk is the first weatherman in the country. he starts predicting the weather in the 1870s. all that weather technology starts here in madison. in the 1870s, it's simple. he knew somebody who lives 60 miles and he would telegraph over and ask the question, what does the weather look like? if the note came back said rain, then he predicts it's going to rain in madison soon. he realizes most of our weather comes from the west. in front of me we have a lady in a brown dress with a piece of paper. that's cordelia harvey. the women would make the bandages and medical supplies for the military. her husband, the governor, took military su