Jumes Restaurant, as it came to be known by 1955, began with George Jumes purchase of Sheboygan’s Coney Island Lunch Counter in October 1929. Jumes, who originally emigrated with his parents in 1902 from Greece, had just returned to Sheboygan after spending a number of years in La Crosse. George operated Coney Island Lunch at the original location until moving just a little south near the corner of Eighth Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. All the members of the family worked in the restaurant and eventually George’s son, Louis took over the restaurant. Although Jumes suffered a devastating fire in 1990, the restaurant was able to reopen after nearly a year rebuilding. Unfortunately, the return was short-lived, as the economic downturn following September 11, 2001 was more than the restaurant could survive.  The final Coney Dogs were served in 2003.

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In the early 1930s, Conrad Bauer paid fifteen cents for a Popular Mechanics magazine that contained plans to build a diving helmet. He and his brother, Harold, constructed two helmets from hot water tanks and lead salvaged from the scrapyard. Each helmet split seventy-five pounds of lead between the front and the back to help weigh the piece down. Most of the dives were done in shallow water, typically less than thirty-five feet, with air supplied via modified water hoses, an Electric Sprayit air compressor, and a used Briggs and Stratton engine. 

Bauer was inspired to start diving after experiencing a nearly intact shipwreck just off the Sheboygan jetties. The prevalence of wrecks in Lake Michigan, particularly from southern Kewaunee County thru mid Ozaukee County, led to the June 2021 creation of the Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary. Covering 962 square miles, the sanctuary has a known thirty-six wrecks and the potential for an additional sixty or more. The area corresponding to Sheboygan County has thirteen known wrecks, including five listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The area contains not only a diversity of vessels, including sailing, passenger, and freighter ships, but also several with intact cargo. Included within the borders of the County is the wreckage of the 1833 Gallinipper, the oldest known remains of a commercial vessel in Wisconsin waters. 

Established in 1879 as the Garton Company, the firm initially produced common utilitarian products, including cigar boxes and washboards. By the early 1900s, Garton had transitioned into wheeled riding toys, establishing an impressive network of distribution centers and showrooms across the country. Sales offices in New York, Chicago, Dallas, and Los Angeles, alongside a program of national catalog sales, supported the growing business as the company expanded into sleds, wagons, croquet sets, water skis, and toy cradles. The expanding market, coupled with Garton’s attention to changing styles and designs as the century progressed, made the company a leading producer of pedal toys for over 75 years.

The Sheboygan Youth Band was one of several musical performance groups organized for the young people of the community during the 1960s. In their first few years, SYB performed regular concerts at Fountain Park, along with providing entertainment for a variety of events such as the Lantern Parade, Soap Box Derby and local church picnics. By 1969, SYB had expanded to include more traditional marching performances in addition to the concert performances. As more marching engagements were added to the schedule, a color guard section created a visual interpretation of the music played by the marching unit. Soon, SYB was also participating in marching band competitions, often bringing home recognition and trophies. Concert performances also grew to include spring and winter concerts as well.

Based at 8th and Wisconsin in Sheboygan, the H.C. Prange Company was a one-stop shop for the needs of Eastern Wisconsin residents. Founded in 1887 by Henry C. Prange, his sister Eliza, and Mr. J.H. Bitter, Prange’s began as a dry goods store. From day one, company leadership made sure that the newest merchandise was available to Sheboygan County residents and offered unique experiences, like the holiday window displays, life-size Steiff promotional animals, and popcorn for all.  An outstanding selection coupled with an unbeatable customer service policy — “It’s Not Yours ‘Til You Like It!” – helped Prange’s become the largest Wisconsin based department store chain with sales topping $250 million annually by 1984. The end of an era came in 1992, when Prange’s, including the Sheboygan flagship store, was sold to Younkers Inc.  

James Lewis Kraft began his company as a wholesale cheese distributor in Chicago in 1903. In the following years, he brought his brothers into the business and in 1914, J.L. Kraft & Bros. Company began manufacturing their own cheese. Between 1915 and 1916, Kraft developed and received a patent for a pasteurized cheese product that did not require refrigeration. The well-timed product led to significant company growth as the U.S. Army purchased millions of pounds for World War I soldier’s rations. Between 1918 and 1919, the company established a presence in Plymouth, increasing its capital stock to one-million dollars in January 1920. The company became an integral part of the community over the coming years, including sponsoring an industrial league basketball team, the Kraft Loaves. In early 1949, Kraft announced that with the completion of a new manufacturing plant in Chicago, production in Plymouth would end in June of that year.

Road America grew out of the street races run in Elkhart Lake in the early 1950s. Though exciting, hugely successful, and an economic benefit to the area, the difficulties of racing on public roads was unavoidable. Clif Tufte, a highway engineer by trade, saw the benefits and proposed building a dedicated road racing course on the outskirts of Elkhart Lake. Utilizing an area of farmland with natural topography featuring hills and ravines and the twists and turns he found on area country roads, Tufte created what we know today as Road America, the first road racing track in the country. The first races were held on September 10 and 11, 1955.

The Seils Sterling Circus was the largest of the Lindemann brothers Sheboygan based circuses. From 1924 to 1938, brothers Pete, Bill and Al traveled the country with up to sixty-five trucks, employing primarily Sheboygan based performers. The circus became one of the largest motorized circuses in the country. However, the impact of the ongoing Great Depression took a toll and Seils Sterling held their final performance in Iron Mountain, Michigan on July 4, 1938. The circus was sold at auction in September of that year. All three brothers were inducted into the International Circus Hall of Fame in 1965.

The original two-wheeled, leg powered bicycle debuted in Europe in 1817. Throughout the late 1860s and 1870s, numerous patents were issued for bicycles similar to the one owned by Dr. Bock. An article in the August 1868 Scientific American features a photo of a remarkably similar velocipede, developed by the Hanlon Brothers, touting that “these vehicles were used merely as playthings for children, and it is only lately that their capabilities have been understood and acknowledged. Practice with these machines has been carried so far that offers of competitive trials of speed between them and horses on the race course have been made.” Additionally luxuries like chain drives, suspensions, and rubber tires came around the turn of the century, while air-filled tires and the banana seat came later. Interestingly, the first electric bicycle occurred in 1897, but it did not come to widespread production until nearly one-hundred years later.