Badger Village Oral History Project

This project tells the story of Badger Village, a housing community for married student veterans and their families located at the Badger Ordnance Works site in Baraboo, Wisconsin from 1946 to 1951. The project consists of excerpts from interviews with UW residence staff, administration, and student veterans and their wives who lived at Badger Village.

Oral History Interviews

Listen to interviews with people who lived in Badger Village. Collection hosted by the UW Digital Collections Center.

1. Interview #398: Anderson, Donald M. (excerpt) (1991)
2. Interview #390: Badger Village (1990) (Note: After link opens, click on each View Item to get to recordings.)
3. Interview #365: Burns, S. Lee (excerpt) (1983–84)
4. Interview #360: Halle, Larry (excerpt) (1989)
5. Interview #281: Hove, Arthur and Biebel, Anne (excerpt) (1991–1992)
6. Interview #243: Lampman, JoAnn C. (1982)
7. Interview #66: Luberg, Leroy E. (excerpt) (1975)
8. Interview #704: Mohr, Doris J. and Mohr, James W. (2004)
9. Interview #112: Zillman, Theodore W. (excerpt) (1977)

Podcast

• Listen to the Badger Village 1945-1952 podcast.
• View the Badger Village 1945-1952 podcast transcript. [pdf]

Badger Village 1945-1952 on YouTube.

View Badger Village 1945-1952 transcript. [pdf]

Clips 

The Oral History Program staff has complied an album of clips about life in Badger Village. An abridged transcripts of the clips is also available.

1. Veteran Housing Crisis: Hove, Arthur (281)
2. Background: Zillman, Theodore W. (112)
3. How Larry Halle Became Manager: Halle, Larry (360)
4. First Impressions: Young, Phyllis S.
5. Two Types of Housing: Halle, Larry (360)
6. Overall Impressions: Mohr, Doris J. & Mohr, John W. (704)
7. Rough Living: Lampman, JoAnn C. (243)
8. Laundry & Cooking: Johnson, Marjorie K
9. Truax & Badger Buses: Korach, Robert S. (443)
10. Bus & Class Schedule: Lemberger, August P
11. Hitchhiking Back to Baraboo: Anderson, Donald M. (398)
12. Bus Experience: Johnson, Marjorie K
13. Winters & Summers: Johnson, Marjorie K
14. Studying: Lemberger, August P
15. Meeting President E.B. Fred: Lemberger, August P
16. Diversity: Baime, Peggy
17. Christmas:  Mohr, Doris J. & Mohr, John W. (704)
18. Class Announcements on WHA: Johnson, Marjorie K
19. Schooling for Children: Young, Phyllis S.
20. Communal Living: Schereck, William J
21. Swan Lake at the Variety Show: Baime, Peggy
22. Recreational Sports & Thanksgiving: Lemberger, August P
23. End of Badger Village: Halle, Larry (360)
24. Reflections: Mohr, Doris J. & Mohr, John W. (704)

Further Reading

Mohr, Mike. Badger Village: Student Years 1946-1952. Madison WI, 2005

For more information about Badger Village contact the UW Archives at (608) 262-5629 or email uwarchiv@library.wisc.edu