Belt’s Top Stories of 2021
Ten pieces our readers kept coming back to.
A Visit to Milwaukee’s Last Public Drinking Well
The Pryor Avenue Iron Well is a remnant of the past—and maybe a glimpse of the future.
Fire in Peshtigo
The deadliest fire in U.S. history happened one hundred and fifty years ago near Peshtigo, Wisconsin. You’ve probably never heard of it.
How to Buy a House in Milwaukee
Is homeownership the answer to Milwaukee’s affordable housing crisis? It’s complicated.
Rust Belt Labor: A Reading List
Stories of Rust Belt workers--their lives, histories, memories, and resistance.
Wisconsin’s Black Farming Tradition
Since the mid-1800s, agriculture has created a path to agency and freedom for Black people in Wisconsin.
Around Lake Michigan on the Circle Tour
Sixty years ago, my parents took us on a driving tour of Lake Michigan, the quintessential Midwest road trip.
Worker-Owned Cooperatives and the Future of Rust Belt Labor
Amid declining union power and attacks on organized labor, some Rust Belt workers are turning to worker-owned cooperatives.
What the USDA Still Owes Farmers of Color
The American Rescue Plan offers debt relief for farmers of color, but structural factors have kept many from obtaining loans in the first place.
Midwestern
"I heard the dreams of a revisionist age, / the once upon a time / of a land strong in industry."
Belt’s Top Stories of 2020
Eleven pieces our readers kept coming back to.
Wisconsin’s Pandemic Winter
Vaccines will be rolled out over the coming months, but in the meantime, cold weather, isolation, and already-strained public health infrastructure will converge in the state this winter.