The lumber kings and paper barons of the Fox River Valley transformed a wilderness of vast, rich timberlands and raging river waters into empires of pine, paper and power. In Oshkosh, lumber dynasties such as Paine and Morgan helped rebuild a nation ravaged by fire and war. Four young Neenah entrepreneurs with no experience in papermaking formed Kimberly-Clark, one of the largest paper manufacturers in the world. H.J. Rogers of Appleton watched his home light up the night after he wired it with Edison's electric lightbulbs, the first in the world to do so utilizing hydroelectricity. These men ushered in an era of opulence shining with steamboat excursions along the river, palatial mansions in plush neighborhoods and lavish hotels and movie houses. Much of this bygone age now exists only in photographs, written accounts or memories. Local photographer and historian Scott Wittman recovers this vanishing history.

Visit the wicked Fox Cities, full of place names like La Grand Butte des Morts ("the Big Hill of the Dead") and Winneconne ("the Place of Skulls") that date from an era when "settlement" was frequently synonymous with "slaughter." Even after the firm establishment of modern civilization, there remained an uneasy truce between lined pockets and bared knuckles that was often only brokered by heavy drinking. Stumble across the frozen Fox River and barge into local watering holes, where the only pauses in the revelry are discussions about desecrating Joe McCarthy's grave. Points of interest include the Oshkosh rat-betting scene, the Appleton "Union Street Resorts" and the Neenah tavern, where a world-champion boxer hid from the doctor who had bought his bones.

Wind through the criminal history of the cities along northeast Wisconsin’s Fox River with the author of Milwaukee Mafia as your guide. The safe and sedate Fox Cities have seen their share of horrible crimes. Coldblooded murder, kidnapping, prostitution, organized crime and other misdeeds shocked and appalled not just the community but the entire state. Murderer Porter Ross tried to commit suicide by eating bedsprings. Wenzel Kabat mutilated and burned a man in order to take over his farm. The Appleton Butcher left dismembered human remains on a playground for children to find. In this volume, crime writer and leading expert on the Milwaukee Mafia Gavin Schmitt turns his magnifying glass on small-town America. Includes photos!

Check in on visits from Orville Wright, Casey Stengel, John Dillinger and JFK. Learn about the Aurora man who hired Abe Lincoln to defend his business and the police chief who solved the nations most gruesome crime. Discover what happened to the man who recorded a landmark blues song in Auroras tallest tower and how a boy born in the citys poorest neighborhood went on to play for the Chicago Bears in Matt Hanleys fascinating collection of stories from the City of Lights.

Five Years Ahead of My Time: Garage Rock from the 1950s to the Present tells of a musical phenomenon whose continuing influence on global popular culture is immeasurable. The story begins in 1950s America, when classic rock ’n’ roll was reaching middle age, and teenaged musicians kept its primal rawness going with rough-hewn instrumentals, practicing guitar riffs in their parents’ garages. In the mid-1960s came the Beatles and the British Invasion, and soon every neighborhood had its own garage band. Groups like the Sonics and 13th Floor Elevators burnt brightly but briefly, only to be rediscovered by a new generation of connoisseurs in the 1970s. Numerous compilation albums followed, spearheaded by Lenny Kaye’s iconic Nuggets, which resulted in garage rock’s rebirth during the 1980s and ’90s. Be it the White Stripes or the Black Keys, bands have consistently found inspiration in the simplicity and energy of garage rock. It is a revitalizing force, looking back to the past to forge the future of rock ’n’ roll. And this, for the first time, is its story.