Wisconsin Death Trip Cover
Podcast Mentions

Wisconsin Death Trip

Michael Lesy

From 1890 to 1910, Charles Van Schaick, the town photographer of a small Wisconsin community, took over 30,000 photographs. The negatives were left after his death, and by this accident of history, an extraordinary picture of a small town under the impact of the Great Depression has proved possible.

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Quotes 15
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Stuff You Should Know

Podcast

Stuff You Should Know

It was compared to the Voyager Golden Record's images, as the book's text was described as jarring and unsettling, much like the random assemblage of pictures and diagrams in the record.

"

It's almost like jarring in the way of like that book, Wisconsin Death Trip that I'm always talking about is.

— Episode: How the Voyager Golden Records Work

Episode: How the Voyager Golden Records Work

It was compared to the Voyager Golden Record's images, as the book's text was described as jarring and unsettling, much like the random assemblage of pictures and diagrams in the record.

"

It's almost like jarring in the way of like that book, Wisconsin Death Trip that I'm always talking about is.

My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark

Podcast

My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark

The title was highlighted as a formative text because it compiled eerie 19th‑century photographs and newspaper clippings that chronicled murders and madness in Black Falls, Wisconsin. Guest Jefferson Mays recalled reading it as a child and described the images as haunting, while hosts Georgia Hardstark and Karen Kilgariff noted its documentary‑like quality and praised its dark historical insight. Overall, the discussion conveyed strong enthusiasm for the book’s unique, unsettling content.

Highly Recommended

Episode: The Live TNT’s I Am The Night Special

Jefferson Mays, who played George Hodel in 'I Am the Night', mentioned this book as a formative text due to its collection of photographs and true crime clippings from the 19th century.

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It was a formative text, Wisconsin Death Trip. Do you know of that?

It's an amazing book, but it's a collection of...a treasure trove of photographs taken in and around Black Falls in the 19th century, undeveloped prints, negatives they found and they're very odd.

Episode: The Live TNT’s I Am The Night Special

Jefferson Mays described this book, which he read as a child, as a formative text, a collection of 19th-century photographs and newspaper clippings chronicling murders, madness, and mayhem in Black Falls, Wisconsin.

"

Yes, it was a formative text. Wisconsin Death Trip.

It's an amazing book but it's a collection of it's a treasure trove of photographs taken in and around Black Falls, Wisconsin I think. In the 19th century undeveloped prints or negatives they found and they're very odd.

Episode: The Live TNT’s I Am The Night Special

Jefferson Mays, a guest on the podcast, mentioned reading "Wisconsin Death Trip" as a child, which deeply impacted him. The book is a compilation of photographs and newspaper articles from Black River Falls in the late 19th century, depicting the area's darkness and various murders.

"

It was a formative text Wisconsin Death Trip Do you know of that?

It's an amazing book But it's a collection of It's a treasure trove of photographs Taken in and around Black Falls In the 19th century Undeveloped prints Negatives they found And they're very odd

I remember as a child being utterly gripped By funerary portraiture Of all these dead babies In christening dresses Crammed into their coffins Standing upright with their little eyes Half open I still can't get those images out of my mind But coupled with it were these wonderful Like true crime haikus Which were newspaper clippings From the local paper With various murders Madnesses and mayhems You know chronicled locally But wonderfully terse And dispassionate Scandinavian hired girl Murders all the children With a fire axe Burns the house with the horses down And the parents discover her laughing In her nightie in the snow Just the basics But then to a child's imagination You sort of go from there

Episode: The Live TNT’s I Am The Night Special

Jefferson Mays described this book as a formative text, citing its collection of photographs and newspaper clippings detailing murders and mayhem in Wisconsin during the 19th century.

"

Yes, it was a formative text. Wisconsin Death Trip.

It's an amazing book but it's a collection of it's a treasure trove of photographs taken in and around Black Falls, Wisconsin I think. In the 19th century undeveloped prints or negatives they found and they're very odd.

Episode: 63 - Steven's Tuxedo

It was described as a documentary based on a book of police blotters from Wisconsin in the mid-1800s, with a sepia-toned feel, and was highly recommended.

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It's like kind of a documentary. It's called Wisconsin Death Trip.

They took a book, I think it was just of like the police blotter from cities around Wisconsin in the 1800s.

And so they just read the stories of what the police, what they were doing and what the crimes were.

Episode: 63 - Steven's Tuxedo

It was described as a documentary based on a book of police blotters from Wisconsin during the mid-1800s, showcasing the dark side of history and a glimpse into the past.

"

It's called Wisconsin Death Trip.

I think it was just of like the police blotter from cities around Wisconsin in the 1800s. Mid 1800s, I believe.

Note: The book recommendations on this page are discovered automatically from podcast transcripts, and may be incorrect or incomplete.