Ripon

This is a very unique compilation of photos and narrative about a gem located in the heart of the Mid-west, central Wisconsin. Ripon has a very unique origin, history and private college, Ripon College, historically known as the "Harvard of the Mid-West". Best part of this little gem of a book, is that it is authored by current Ripon College students in the History Department. The idea that they have formed this relationship with their college and the small town and people they live amongst, speaks to the real reason we study history!

The Images of America series is not famous for its completeness or scholarly approach to history. Old photos are gathered and captions attached. Some communities have amazing collections of photos and folks who are determined to be accurate in their narratives. The Ripon edition of the series is well done. Apparently a couple of faculty members from the Ripon College history department staked their names on the quality of this book, and three students are credited with much of the work. For anyone who lived in Ripon or was attached to the College this is a nice mosaic of the city’s history.

This turned out to be such a great book! I know all of the authors of it and so I was looking forward to when it came out!

This book has wonderful and helpful information for anyone interested in doing research on Ripon, WI. It contains a rich collection of photographsso helpful for research purposes. But I am curious as to why the authors did not include the Catholic Churches, representative of the Irish and Polish community, when all the other churches were mentioned, sometimes more than once.