The records of the American Legion, Department of Wisconsin are divided into four series, Department of Wisconsin, Local Posts, National, and Photographs.
Department of Wisconsin (1919-1989) is the largest of the four series and documents the activities of the statewide organization. Researchers should note that the records within this series are quite scattered. The Conventions sub-series shows the Department's involvement in both national and state gatherings. Wisconsin's prominence in the national organization is evidenced by their candidates for national commander and their bids to host national conventions. The proceedings for state conventions relate the addresses given and business attended to at each of the annual gatherings. Other records within the Convention sub-series document locations, attendees, and concurrent events and in general convey the festival-like atmosphere that surrounded the conventions. The Community Service subseries shows the civic concerns of the Legion that primarily dealt with the youth of America. Badger Boys State and Baseball were both programs aimed at instilling values and morals in high school boys. The scrapbooks for Badger Boys State help to show the heavy emphasis placed on teaching government. Camp American Legion, located at Lake Tomahawk, Wisconsin, is a free convelescent home for veterans recuperating from hospital stays; it shows the Legion's concerns for veterans. The Administrative, Committees, and Districts sub-series convey the organized, bureaucratic structure of the deparment as well as many of its concerns and activities. The Communications subseries, though very scattered, will convey some of the issues that were discussed during the year within the Department.
Local Posts (1919-1990) contains the records of individual Posts within the Department of Wisconsin. Researchers should be aware that relatively few of the 555 Wisconsin Posts are represented in this series, and that the records of these posts are far from complete. The most complete records come from the Alonzo Cudworth Post of Milwaukee, traditionally one of the largest posts in the nation. In addition to the administrative records, their community service records (Badger Boys State and baseball) give an idea of the more local approach to helping the youth. The records for the Bradley-Loker Post of Omro document its last days of existance and include the cancellation papers for the post. The scrapbooks for the Jane Delano post, an all-nurses post in Milwaukee, are detailed and the written histories of the post are comprehensive. The original charters for several posts can be found within this series. Researchers should note that there are no post rosters in this series.
National (1921-1986) is the smallest series and contains records relating to Legion activities on the national level. The Conventions sub-series is the largest and its planning subseries documents some of the logistical concerns of the gatherings such as hotel assignments, telephone directories, and registration packet materials. The Communications subseries convey the activities that occurred at the large national conventions. The Patriotic Materials and Public Relations sub-series show that many of the department activities mirror those of the national level.
Photographs (1919-1983) contains documentation of many American Legion activities, including Badger Boys State and baseball. The Badger Boys State scrapbook contains many photos from the 1941 gathering, including interaction between Legionnaires and high school participants, campaigning by the boys for the mock elections, and scenic shots of the Ripon college campus. Candid snapshots from the Alonzo Cudworth Post show the camraderie that ruled at events before and after the official business was addressed. Other photos show the post building, both interior and exterior, and a visit from National Commander John Geiger. Commanders of the Sherman Park Post and Jane Delano post are represnted in this series, and the sewing club scrapbook from the latter contain many candids of female veterans. The official photographs from the 1941 National Convention in Milwaukee document the enormity of the event; they include group shots of posts from all around the nation taken at an outdoor ampitheater as well as while marching in the parade.
