Wauwatosa’s Polar Bears

In late 1918, five Wauwatosa men joined American troops heading to North Russia’s remote reaches. Their mission: guard Allied supplies and stop communist revolutionary advances during the Great War’s final months. These soldiers fought in deep snow near Archangel. They battled disease. They survived a brutal Arctic winter. History remembers this as the Polar Bear Expedition.

Independent researcher Marguerite Helmers presents this program. Marguerite Helmers is an independent researcher with over thirty years of experience teaching at the university level. She is the author of numerous academic publications and has shared her research through talks and lectures locally, nationally, and internationally. Her favorite subjects are the literature and visual arts of early 20th century England and Ireland, but she often drifts across the pond into 19th century America. Marguerite enjoys bringing complex historical topics to life in ways that are accessible to non-specialist audiences. In 2025, she was delighted to join the research team at Wauwatosa Historical Society.

Doors open at 5:30 p.m., program starts at 6:00 p.m.