Tracie Grube-Gaurkee

Area of Focus

Women, gender, ethnicity, and class in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era

Description of Research

My focus of study is on the Midwest of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, particularly women, gender, ethnicity, politics, and class in Wisconsin. Currently, my research is focused on the establishment of settlement houses in the city of Milwaukee. I argue that while many people may automatically think of Jane Addams' Hull House in Chicago, there were earlier and home-grown settlements that existed in Milwaukee. These Milwaukee settlements were established by Milwaukeeans for their neighbors in need of socializing, medicine, or adapting to life in the area. The settlements in Milwaukee show that the traditional view of settlements houses run by middle-and upper-class individuals moving into the immigrant neighborhood is not the norm, but the exception.