1920s to before

	A railroad construction crew takes a break upon the lumbering giant of a Bucyrus Steam Shovel in 1899. The crew was working the central Wisconsin dirt laying the groundwork and handling grade reductions for the Wisconsin Central Railroad at Lake Emily, about 14 miles east of Stevens Point. Photo courtesy of the Wisconsin Historical Society, Negative No. WhiCF 595
	It might be an antique today, but on Main Street in 1914 Clintonville, this cement mixer helped usher the town into modern times. Photo courtesy of the Wisconsin Historical Society, Negative No. Whi (X31) 15187
	Some things never change. If you want to lay brick, you just have to take the time and lay it down just as this road crew did when paving North Main Street in Racine in 1901. Photo courtesy of the Wisconsin Historical Society, Negative No. Whi (X3) 20687
	Supervision just isn't what it used to be. What appears to be a foreman watches closely as his crew paves Regent Street and Roby Road in Madison in about 1913. Photo courtesy of the Wisconsin Historical Society, Negative No. Whi (X91) 14621
	Before there were tractors and backhoes and bulldozers, the only means of getting a job done in a timely fashion was to use horses. This collage highlights the true meaning of horsepower, showing horse teams used for paving and other construction work in Milwaukee between 1900 and 1910. Photo courtesy of the Wisconsin Historical Society, Negative No. Whi (X3) 43846
	Long before the establishment of the National Association for Women in Construction these women were out on the roads driving light dump trucks for the Ashland County Highway Department during World War I. Photo courtesy of the Wisconsin Historical Society, Negative No. Whi (X3) 21401
	That was then, this is now, and it seems that not much has changed. J.H. Findorff & Son, founded in 1890, has been a centerpiece to the Madison construction community for more than a century. Travel down a Madison street and you're likely to see this scene all over again (except maybe with some updated equipment). On this day in July 1927, Findorff crews worked to complete the Heeb Company Warehouse, while today the same construction company has cranes bearing its name across the Capitol city skyline. Photo courtesy of the Wisconsin Historical Society, Negative No. Whi (D487) 6751
	The "Paving of America" has been a battle cry for those wishing to curb road projects. Joni Mitchell sang a song about how "they paved paradise and put up a parking lot." But in the years 1895 to 1900, laying down some pavement, such as this project on the corner of Water and Main streets in Watertown, was simply a means of bringing a community into the 20th century. Photo courtesy of the Wisconsin Historical Society, Negative No. Whi (X3) 52903
	Stone carvers make history in 1900. Or, more accurately, they were helping to make a home for history as they sculpted the facade for the then under construction Wisconsin Historical Society building in Madison. Photo courtesy of the Wisconsin Historical Society, Negative No. Whilot 136, page 96
	Backhoes, bulldozers, computers and cell phones hadn't even made it into science fiction in 1890, but engineers and graders still managed to get the job done on this Marshfield Branch of an unidentified railroad in Milwaukee. Photo courtesy of the Wisconsin Historical Society, Negative No. Whi (X32) 3815
	The Occupational Safety and Health Administration would have had a field day with this Wisconsin and Northern Railroad bridge construction project near Neopit in 1907. Apparently, fall protection meant hoping the water in the west branch of the Wolf River below was deep enough to cushion a fall. Photo courtesy of the Wisconsin Historical Society, Negative No. WhiCF 5924 1
	The faces might have changed and the building might be getting a facelift (scheduled for completion in February next year), but the J.H. Findorff & Son construction family still works out of the same location in Madison as it did in this 1910 group photo. Photo courtesy of J.H. Findorff & Son
	Maybe it's a stretch to compare J.H. Findorff & Son to Miss Forward, who embodies the state's motto. But it's hard to argue with the fact that the company's crews placed her atop the state Capitol building in 1914, she's still pointing forward and Findorff continues to thrive as a leader in the industry. If their fates are entwined, let's hope for Findorff's sake that Lady Forward doesn't topple anytime soon. Photo courtesy of J.H. Findorff & Son Inc.
	Sure, a large building crane would make the 1928 construction of the Hovde Building in Madison a lot easier for J.H. Findorff & Son. But who says construction has to be easy? In this case, a teamwork approach and a whole lot of scaffolding does the trick, making the completion of the 10-story high rise that much sweeter. Photo courtesy of J.H. Findorff & Son Inc.
	An unknown Milwaukee Sewer and Construction Company employee builds himself into a corner beneath the 1920s Milwaukee streets. Construction crews built sewers the hard way, using brick and laying it all by hand. Photo courtesy of the Wisconsin Underground Contractors Association
	A construction crew for Martin Boldt & Sons Contractors stands head and shoulders above the competition at the Boldt headquarters in Appleton around 1900. The Boldt Company (as it is now called) has grown over the last century into one of the state's largest contractors. Photo courtesy of The Boldt Company
	Martin Boldt & Sons, the forerunner to today's The Boldt Company, joins the Homes of Distinction construction program in Appleton around 1900. The company has since diversified far beyond residential construction. Photo courtesy of The Boldt Company
	A Martin Boldt & Sons duo adds the finishing touches to a project in an unknown Appleton building before 1930. The Boldt Company couldn't pinpoint the exact year of the job, but considering the crew used an electric sander and extension cord, it couldn't have been too soon before Martin Boldt & Sons changed its name in 1932. Photo courtesy of The Boldt Company
	Three tiers of construction work come to a standstill in 1900s Appleton as a Martin Boldt & Sons crew poses for the record book. The Boldt Company couldn't identify the project, but it looks like the crew was expanding on an existing building. Photo courtesy of The Boldt Company

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