Looking Back
The section near the North Avenue Bridge was intensely used for commercial and recreational use into the 20th century. Ships came up the river from the lake and off- loaded coal into piles near Humboldt Avenue. The Beer Line railroad, the second oldest rail line in Wisconsin, ran along the river here. It was functioning as a conduit of goods until the mid 1980s, when one of its major customers, Schlitz Brewery, ceased operations.
Some people doing development projects in neighboring areas thought of the valley as a nice deep dumping hole in the landscape. As new foundations were dug for homes and factories, it was not unusual for the soil and rock from the work to be dumped into the river valley. In fact, you still can see evidence of people using the valley as a dump site for waste concrete and household goods.
Above the old dam which used to span the river near North Avenue, boats of a different sort were used. Pleasure steamers carried passengers to beer gardens upstream. Canoeists launched their boats in Riverside Park on the east bank. Swimmers dove into the dam pond at Gordon Park and at other swimming schools that bordered the river shoreline. In winter ice skaters came down to the river and ski jumpers landed on the snow and ice near Gordon Park.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, much of the shoreline south of Capitol Drive was bare of trees. Gordon and Riverside Parks were wooded along the shore. These parks were part of an extended plan by Lake Park designer Frederick Law Olmsted and Charles B. Whitnall. Known as the father of our park system, Whitnall referred to open areas along the river as the “lungs of the city.” He lived along the river and his first wife was named Gordon, whose family homestead was donated to the park district.
These were places where the common man could breathe free and recreate. Think of all those homes burning coal for fuel as well as the smell that accompanied the use of horses as the main transportation of goods within the city. Fresh air was important. The legacy of the parks system, first laid out by early city planners, has kept much of the river valley in public ownership.
Looking Away
Attitudes toward the river valley changed as attention turned away from this section of the river. Undoubtedly the main reason this happened was the decline of water quality in the river, due to a number of factors.
Growth in the city and metro areas resulted in increased runoff from streets and construction sites. A majority of the sediment loading – the material that makes the water brown – comes from construction sites. This runoff also causes algal growth which when it dies and decays lowers the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water, which destroys the habitat for fish and the myriad of other creatures large and small that use the river as their lifeline.
Growing population also resulted in increased pressure on sewers and dumping of human and street waste directly into the river. Much has been done to mitigate these water pollution issues, but the attitude toward the river as a wasteland continues in many people’s minds.
Over the years, all uses of the river declined. People stopped swimming in the river. Soon they stopped boating and ice-skating. The industrial uses declined due to changing economies. Shipping stopped using the river. The railroad shut down.
Look Again
One day we turned around and the river valley near North Avenue was an abandoned back yard. Riverside Park was a river park in name only, as maintenance was discontinued and access to the western section of the park and river valley was made more difficult. The valley on both sides of the river reverted to a wild state.
This came to be seen as an asset as the Urban Ecology Center was founded and used its location along the river to create a living lab for members and students. Citizens had an opportunity to enjoy the natural area. It was a place to walk dogs, watch birds, catch fish, ride a bike, go for a hike, or just sit and enjoy the solitude.
The dam at North Avenue was removed in 1997, revealing mud flats that soon began supporting vegetation and pioneer tree species. This wild state came to be seen as a valued connection between nature and the city. Water quality began to improve, particularly after the removal of the dam and the sewerage district’s deep tunnel lowered the incidence of overflows into the river.
The fish habitat improved with the water quality. A rock reef was installed below North Avenue as a breeding area last summer. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has been working to establish a reproducing fishery for native species such as walleye and sturgeon. Lake game species such as salmon and steelhead trout are now commonly caught by fishermen.
Look Out for Invaders!
This return to a wild state was not an ideal situation for vegetation. Original, native species were not the ones that grew up most readily on the disturbed land. Opportunist plant species invaded the area with vigor. Chief among the invaders are garlic mustard in both the woods and the flats and reed canary grass over the flats. Buckthorn is a woody shrub to small tree that is crowding out native tree species.
It might not be evident to the untrained eye, but these species are rampant and threaten native wildflowers and a diverse landscape that supports a broad base of native birds and other animals.
With the new century we have seen a new interest in the Milwaukee River valley as a place to live, work and play. The value of our river has been rediscovered, if not by all, certainly by developers. As awareness of this resource increases, so does a constituency for preservation of the swath of water and green that could come to be seen as Milwaukee’s “central park,” a place where man and nature come together just three short miles from downtown.
There are many groups and individuals who have played a role in this revival. Developers have made living on the river fashionable. The city has encouraged investment along the river.
Looking Ahead
With the plan set forward in this paper (see page 8), the Milwaukee River Work Group is encouraging investment along the river that rivals the vision of other great cities that have set aside land for the common good. Land that will add value to all adjacent lands for generations to come.
The Milwaukee River Work Group is made up of the Friends of Milwaukee’s Rivers, River Revitalization Foundation and the Urban Ecology Center. These three groups, working in association with neighborhood groups, the City of Milwaukee, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources DNR, Rivers and Trails Program of the National Park Service, Milwaukee County Parks Department and others are developing a vision for the future of this valley that incorporates their various missions to educate about, preserve, improve, and provide public access to the Milwaukee River valley.
If we want a place in the heart of Milwaukee where we can go be part of the natural world, where the city fades from view, we need to plan for future development that respects that natural world. We are proposing such a plan.
About the Groups:
Friends of Milwaukee’s Rivers (FMR) is designated as Milwaukee’s “Riverkeeper.” This designation recognizes their role in protecting our water quality by working to stop pollution from entering our public waters from industrial, agricultural, construction, and municiple sources. They have developed a Milwaukee Urban Water Trail Map that encourages use of the river by canoeists and kayakers. Their map shows where to launch and take out along our three rivers. Signage has been placed along the shore to mark these points. Water quality monitoring, advocacy and promoting public awareness of water issues form a major part of their work.
River Revitalization Foundation (RRF) is our urban river land trust. Their goal is to protect the land adjacent to the river and improve public access to this resource. In 2006 the East Bank Trail opened between Riverside Park and the footbridge at Caesar’s Park. This path greatly improves access to the river valley. On the west bank a section of the Beer Line rail corridor is owned by the foundation, and restoration of the woodland has begun. An ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) accessible trail will be built providing another mile of trail and access to the east bank. The footbridge built by the City of Milwaukee over the old dam foundation at Caesar’s park is a significant link in this trail system and represents a physical and cultural bridge between neighborhoods.
The Urban Ecology Center (UEC) is a national leader in providing access to the natural environment. They offer hands-on educational experiences in the natural world to young and old alike in the heart of a major metropolitan area. Their new center sits near the river and is an educational tool in itself, as it exhibits so many forms of green construction and energy saving infrastructure integrated into the building. The river valley is their main point of observation of the natural world. They offer many programs that bring visitors closer to nature, from the stars and planets in the night sky to the microscopic creatures living in the sediment of the river. The UEC provides appreciation of our local ecology and insight into the impact of our activities on the world at large.
