A Case Study of Murder in a Midsized Urban Area: Homicide in Eau Claire, Wisconsin in the Interwar Period

Abstract

This paper describes the nature of urban murder in the interwar period. By examining primary source documents, a case study of Eau Claire, WI was done in order to determine what factors influenced murder in midsized urban areas, in order to refute the misconceptions concerning crime from 1920-1940. These misconceptions are perpetuated by popular culture as well as secondary historical literature, which focus almost completely on large metropolitan areas.