We are deep into spring now, whether or not the weather is playing along, and being Milwaukeeans we can't wait to get outside and enjoy the fun months. That's something that's never changed throughout our history.
Here are seven postcard images showing our forefathers letting loose in old Milwaukee...
1. State Fair
Some things never change, right? I wonder if these strolling folks could imagine the kind of progress that would one day bring us deep fried butter on a stick. After kicking off in Janesville in 1851, the Wisconsin State Fair moved to Milwaukee the following year, taking place at Cold Spring Race Course on McKinley Avenue (then called Cold Spring) and went on tour, moving to a different city annually, until 1892, when it landed in Brew City – at its current site – for good.
2. Pabst Park
The glory day of the Milwaukee amusement park is long behind us but there have been a few over the years, including Pabst Park. Capt. Frederick Pabst bought the old shooter's club – Milwaukee Schuetzen Gesellschaft – between 3rd and 5th Streets and Burleigh and Chambers and opened his park, which included this toboggan run, "smallest real railroad in the world," a band shell and more. It is now the site of Clinton Rose Park.
3. Lake Park
Work on Lake Park – designed by no less that Frederick Law Olmsted (most famous for New York's Central and Prospect Parks) – began in 1892 and the children's playground and building, seen here, went up in 1906. Even now, Lake Park boasts perhaps the city's most fun and eclectic playground.
4. Washington Park Zoo
Before the zoo moved south to Bluemound Road, it occupied a much smaller space in the southwest corner of Washington Park, beginning in 1912. While some paths can still be seen, some of the zoo land was later scooped out to create the US 41 freeway spur. Folks "of a certain age" still remember that zoo's monkey island fondly.
5. Downtown parade
Everyone loves a parade and this one by veteran's group The 40 and 8 along Kilbourn Avenue drew a good crowd. I especially like this postcard for its view of the southeast corner of Jackson and Kilbourn, which is much changed now.
6. Washington Park
As if having the city's zoo wasn't quite enough, the old West Park – also designed by Olmsted, who also planned Riverside Park (it's no coincidence that Newberry and Washington Boulevards feel so similar) – renamed Washington Park, also had the lagoon, bandshell and more. According to a County Parks history, "As early as 1902, the City Park Board had decided that Washington Park should be the home of all Milwaukee sports ... numerous facilities were constructed including various athletic fields, lawn tennis courts, a six-hole golf course, a one-mile horse racing track, Milwaukee’s first toboggan slide and a grandstand facility with lockers and a field building. Ultimately, the golf course had to be eliminated due to the rapid expansion of the zoo." And there was boating on the lagoon!
7. Bradford Beach
Bradford Beach has long been a Milwaukee favorite when the temps are at their peak. Here it is as seen from Lake Park on a 1930s linen postcard.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
