Milwaukee Roots

A History Lesson Using GPS

By Barbara Wallner, June 7, 2009

This is a lesson involving a geocache of sorts and a lesson on the interesting

history of the City of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.A. It was written as a sample of what
other cities can do to examine their roots. Find your oldest cemetery, your oldest
buildings; check with the local historian; check out your library and/or museum; explore
your local history. Family geneology can be traced.
Our city and state founding fathers had much to do about why we are all located
here and where we came from. Many of our street and school names have Milwaukee
family roots. Many of us know the local beverage of choice, but did you know this
beverage came from Germany. Do you know anything about the family surrounding
“the beer that made Milwaukee famous”? We all know Milwaukee Iron is the Harley-
Davidson Motorcycle. Do you know why it is in our roots? We will be learning a little
about our roots, a little about our history, and a little about place – our place, our
individual place, our city place.
First, before we learn about our Founding Fathers and Milwaukee, we need to
learn about what else we will learn while we are exploring.
The units you have in your hands are known as GPS units. GPS stands for the
Global Positioning System of satellites that surround our planet. There are 24 such
satellites. To be able to take a valid “point” or position, the unit needs to get a signal
for no less than 3 satellites, called triangulation. When this happens your unit will tell
you that it’s OK to take ‘points’. Four or more satellites are preferred and will give you
a more accurate ‘point’ or position. Many of your new cars and cell phones have GPS
built in, or you can buy a unit for your car. This unit should not be used in place of
reading a map. You still need to know how to do that. The GPS unit can help you if the
map doesn’t make sense to you.
There are 2 main types of readings that your GPS unit can be set at: latitude and
longitude, and UTM. Latitude and longitude are probably most familiar to you. 0°
longitude runs from the North Pole to the South Pole through the city of Greenwich,
England, called the Greenwich, or prime meredian. 180° is the International Date Line
running through the Pacific Ocean from the North to the South Poles. It is called the
International Date Line because the date changes there and it doesn’t interfere with

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any country’s calendars or dates. Since there are 360 degrees in a circle, the world is
divided up into 360 degrees; 180 on either side of the 0° longitude line; west longitude
is west of the prime meredian, east longitude is east of the prime meredian.
The earth is also divided in latitude lines running east/west, north and south of
the equator. There are 180° dividing the earth from the north and south poles; 90° on
either side of the equator to the respected pole. Wisconsin and the United States are in
the Northern Latitude and in the minus 180-degree area of the Western Hemisphere.
UTM measurements are a little different and harder to understand. The UTM
system is metric and divides the world in 60 zones, each zone covers 6 degrees of
longitude. The United States uses zone 10 on the West Coast to zone 19 in New
England. Eastern Wisconsin is in zone 16. Instead of latitude and longitude, UTMs use
eastings and northings. Eastings represent a measurement of position on an east-west
axis within the zone. Northings represent the position along a north-south axis.
Northings are meters north of the equator. So we are about 4,761,457 meters north of
the equator. We could use a little bit of each – latitude/longitude or easting/northing. If
you look at a road atlas, measurements listed at the top/bottom and sides of the pages
are listed in latitude/longitude degrees. So we will be using those since those will make
more sense to you.

Let’s do a little exploring.

We are at the main entrance of the Forest Home Cemetery, 2405 West Forest
Home Avenue. Look at your GPS units. What are your readings? [N 43.00184, W
-87.94341; E 0423106,
N 4761457] These are known as coordinates. Forest Home Cemetery was a burial
ground long before white settlers came to Milwaukee. The greatest concentration of
Native American Effigy Mounds (mounds built in the shape of familiar items to the
Native Americans) was located here, later called Indian Fields. The corner of Forest
Home and Lincoln Avenues was an Indian village. Corn was their crop and covered
close to a square mile of land. To the right of the entrance is the Halls of History
Museum honoring the memories and accomplishments of more than 100 people who
built Milwaukee and chose Forest Home Cemetery as their final resting place. We will
go inside for about 20 minutes so you can familiarize yourselves with the people and
names of those you may have heard about but didn’t realize they were part of our local
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history. Pick up a map of the cemetery. Their web site
http://www.foresthomecemetery.com/tour_map.html , includes a full list
of Milwaukee notables with a map where they are all buried. Each small number
corresponds to a notable on the web site.

Page 3 of 19
Page 4 of 19
 Let us start our walk to these coordinates [N 43.00082, W -87.94477; E 0422999,
N 4761054]. You will notice as you walk the numbers change up or down. Remember
as you are walking east, your “W” numbers will go down; walking west, your “W”
numbers will go up. Similarly, as you walk north, your “N” numbers will go up, and
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south, your “N” numbers will go down. Can you tell us which direction we are traveling?
There will be some varience around the coordinates. You will be within 30 feet of what
you are looking for. Sections listed are the locations
within the cemetery where the specific grave is located.

{Section 8}

You are familiar with our Target store behind our school which is on Chase
Avenue. Horace Chase lived from 1810-1886. He came to Milwaukee and started with
a land claim. Remember when our area was being settled there were no homes on
streets as we have them. It was wide open prairie and forest lands. No one owned the
land, it was staked out by whomever wanted it; this was the land claim. As Horace
Chase owned more land, he ran for office. As Wisconsin was developing the area and
laws, a judicial and legislative system came into being. He became a member of the
first state legislature in 1848, the year Wisconsin became a state. He later became
mayor of Milwaukee in 1862, at the start of the Civil War.

{Section 6}

Our next set of coordinates [N 43.00090, W -87.94565; E 0422925, N 4761354]

has much to do with what we like to eat, especially on
the barbeque during the summer. You will notice that
the numbers didn’t change all that much from where Mr.
Chase is buried. Which name do you see? You will
probably start getting hungry as this set of coordinates
belongs to Fred Usinger, who lived from 1860-1930. In
Germany, Mr. Usinger was a ‘wurstmacher’ or sausage
maker. His business is still family owned and headquartered at the
original location on Old World Third Street downtown.

{Section 8}

Now that we have had our sausage lesson, we need to wash it down with
something (when you are old enough). Let us walk to N 43.00047, W -87.94477 (E
0422986, N 4761298). Jacob Best (1786-1861) set up a brewery and distillery. Jacob
Best’s son, Phillip, had a most famous son-in-law, Frederick Pabst. Need I say more.

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 Around the corner, [N 43.00047, W -87.94459; E 0423044, N 4761301] is part of
Jacob Best’s competition. August Krug (1815-1856) survived a shipwreck coming to
Milwaukee from Germany, along with his 8-year-old nephew, August Uihlein, who later
hired Joseph Schlitz. Makes you wonder, had August Uihlein drowned in the shipwreck,
would there have been a “beer that
made Milwaukee famous?!?”

{Section 15}

At N 42.99975, W -87.94498 (E 0422983, N 4761202) Henry L. Palmer rests. On

the north side of Milwaukee we have Palmer Street and Henry L. Palmer Elementary
School. He lived from 1819 to 1909, and was in the state assembly, a state senator, a
Milwaukee County judge, and president of the Milwaukee School Board. He later served
as legal advisor and member of the executive committee of the Northwestern Mutual
Life Insurance Company where he later served as
president from 1874-1908.

{Section 9}

This area of Milwaukee, where we are now standing, is known as the Layton Park
Neighborhood. We have Layton Avenue, Layton
Boulevard (South 27th Street), and Layton Park State
Bank up the street. At N 42.99984, W -87.94560 (E
0422930, N 4761234) Frederick Layton (1827-1919)
farmed this area and raised cattle and hogs. He went
into the meat packing business with John Plankinton
(Plankinton Avenue and the Plankinton Building
downtown). John Plankinton packaged the meat; Frederick Layton supplied the meat.
He was also an art collector and started the Layton Art Gallery, now the Layton School
of Art.
Now for some building and manufacturing history. Many of us may be familiar
with the term “Cream City” bricks. They are a light-colored brick made from the clay in
the Milwaukee area. On the south side we also have Burnham Street. At N 42.99985,
W -87.94564 (E 0422923,
N 4761228), George Burnham (1816-1889) manufactured these bricks at his brickyard
which was located on the south side of the Menomonee Valley and became the world’s

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largest brickyard in 1881. Bricks were also shipped to customers in Europe possibly for
relatives to have a visible connections to the New World.
For those of you who are taking the Project
Lead-the-Way course, C. Henry Harnischfeger (1855-
1930)
(N 43.00050, W -87.94585; E 0422915, N 4761300)
had an early job with the Singer Sewing Machine
Company. He came to Milwaukee and started a
machine shop with Alonzo Pawling which turned into
the world famous manufacturer of overhead cranes
and large mining equipment, now known as P & H (Harnischfeger) Manufacturing
Company.
Ok, it’s time to eat again. You migh ask
yourselves, as we walk to N 42.99961, W -87.94653 (E
0422852,
N 4761210), what does F. William Smith (1824-1883)
have to do with food? He served as a state senator,
state treasurer, and state assembly. He also served
two terms as governor from 1878-1882. During his
life, he helped found the wholesale grocery business of
Smith, Roundy, and Company of Roundy’s Pick ‘N’ Save fame.
{Section 19}

Wisconsin is known for growing corn, soy beans, and hay, amongst other crops.
In the 1800’s Milwaukee was a main center of the wheat trade in the country, as the
country was expanding west-ward. At N 42.99967, W -87.94419 (E 0423034, N
4761212), Daniel Newhall (1821-1895) was the largest grain dealer in the “west”. We
have East Newhall Street on Milwaukee’s East Side named for him.
{Section 10}

At N 42.99907, W -87.94611 (E 0422882, N 4761146),

the technology of today might not be where it is. Without
keyboards, we maybe wouldn’t be able to work with
computers. Christopher Latham Sholes (1819-1890) is known

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as the inventor of the typewriter. Besides his great invention, he was active in politics,
Milwaukee postmaster
during the Civil War and commissioner of public works.

{Section 25}

Many people say President Obama is a Socialist. That remains to be seen. But,
did you know the Socialist Democratic Party was started here in Milwaukee by Victor
Berger (1860-1929) at N 42.99850, W -87.94486 (E 0422982, N 4761081). Much of
Milwaukee’s political history in the 20th Century was
Socialist-led from 1892 to 1960. Socialists led
Milwaukee through two world wars, and the Great
Depression. It became the Socialist Party in 1901.
Because of his beliefs, Victor Berger was on the right
side of the left-wing movement. “We must have a two-
armed labor movement –a labor movement with a
political arm and with an economic arm. Each arm has its own work to do, and one arm
ought not to interfere with the other, although they are parts of the same body. That is
the ‘Milwaukee Idea’.” (Gurda, 2006. p. 205) Berger School is named for him. Meta
Schlichting, Victor Berger’s wife, shared her husband’s interests and was active in
socialism, women’s suffrage and pacifism. She was an education leader, serving on the
Milwaukee School Board and the State Board of Education.
Maybe our Socialistic history wasn’t so bad after all.

{Section 19}

Moving to the monument at N

42.9981,
W -87.94427 (E 0423033, N 4761117), what
name is familiar with you? What Milwaukee
landmarks are associated with this name?
We see the name ‘Bradley’. We have the
Allen-Bradley Clock on top of the now
company of Rockwell International. We
have the Bradley Center. Lynde Bradley (1878-1942) was an early experimenter in the

Page 9 of 19
basement of his family’s home who developed an electrical motor controller. He
founded and was president of the Allen-Bradley Company from 1916-1942.

At N 42.99870, W -87.94450 (E 0423049, N 4761100), is the

first person buried at Forest Home Cemetery, Orville Cadwell (1828-
1850). He was buried on August 5, 1850.

{Section 25}

Wells Street was named for the person at N 42.99817, W -87.94437 (E 0423003,
N 4761054), Daniel Wells (1852-1937). At one time, he was the state’s wealthiest
citizen with land investments and, grain and lumber holdings. He was an early investor
in many early railroads,
hotels, and banks. He was elected twice to Congress and served in the state

legislature.

{Section 31}

Up to this point, all people we have looked at where white. At N 42.99741, W

-87.94569
(E 0422909, N 4760945), Ezekiel Gillespie (1818-1892) was an important figure in
Milwaukee’s black community. He worked for Alexander Mitchell in banking, and then
for 30 years at the early Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul Railroad, which later became
the Milwaukee Road. Because he was black, he was denied the right to vote, but
prevailed in the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s 1866 unanimous decision in favor of
suffrage rights for blacks.

We move on to another sector in this cemetery where

some of our Founding Father’s lie. At N 42.99741, W
-87.94545 (E 0422944,
N 4760960), George H. Walker (1811-1866) settled an area
south of the Milwaukee River in 1834, now known as Walker’s
Point. He served
Page 10 of 19
two consecutive terms as mayor in 1851, and was involved in local and state railroads.
We also had Walker Middle School which closed a few years ago.
{Section 24}

Byron Kilbourn (N 42.99753, W -87.94595; E 0422890, N 4760973) (1801-1870)

is the second of our three Founding Fathers. He made major
land purchases on the west side of the Milwaukee River and
established the area known as Kilbourntown to rival that of our
third Founding Father, Solomon Juneau, on the east side of the
Milwaukee River, known as Juneautown. Byron Kilbourn was
elected mayor in 1848 and again in 1858. He developed and
built early railroads, one which ran from Milwaukee to another
city he founded called Kilbourn City. You know Kilbourn City,
now famous as a vacation and waterpark destination,
Wisconsin Dells. Solomon Juneau, the third of our Founding
Fathers is buried at another cemetery in Milwaukee.
If you like science, almost any science from plants to rocks to maps to animals to
weather, at N 42.99760, W -87.94598 (E
0422883, N 4760981), Increase Lapham brought
many of his interests and methods to the area.
He studied the Indian burial mounds in the
state. He is also known as the “Father of the
Weather Bureau” for advocating a federal
weather system which was established in 1870.
We have Lapham Street on the south side, and
in Waukesha County, a glacial mound in the
Southern Kettle Morrain State Forest is named for him, Lapham Peak. Weather
telegraph signals sent from
Pike’s Peak in Colorado to Lapham Peak.

{Section 27}

Moving to N 42.99840, W -87.94349 (E 0423093, N 4761068) is Edward Holton

(1815-1892). He was a businessman involved in retailing, land speculation, railroads,

Page 11 of 19
banking, and insurance. His abolitionist causes helped organize the Wisconsin Liberty
Party in 1842 and the Republican Party in 1854. Holton Street and the Holton Street
Bridge over the Milwaukee River on the north side are named for him.

We earlier discussed Frederick Layton as a meat supplier

to John Plankinton’s meat packaging business. At N 42.99889,
W -87.94348
(E 0423101, N 4761123), John Plankinton (1820-1891), also,
partnered with Philip Armour and Patrick Cudahy, to become
one of the country’s
largest meat packers.

{Lawn Place}

Samuel Marshall (N 42.99860, W -87.94248; E 0423172, N 4761091) (1820-1907)

started a bank with a few thousand dollars left to him by his father and grandfather.
Charles Ilsley
(N 42.99863, W -87.94222; E 0423198, N 4761098) partnered with Samuel Marshall to
incorporate a bank in 1888 which was known as the Marshall and Ilsley Bank. M & I
Bank of Milwaukee continues
to this day as one of the state’s largest and most successful banks.

{Section 33}

The Pfister Hotel downtown is Milwaukee’s most famous and eligant hotel where
anyone who is a noteable, from politicians to actors to rock stars to baseball players,
stays when they are in Milwaukee. Guido Pfister
(1818-1889) (N 42.99721,
W -87.94209; E 0423204, N 4760932) started the
Buffalo Leather Store later joining with Frederick
Vogel in 1872 to form one of the largest leather
companies in the Midwest. He was instrumental
in the construction of a canal system to serve the
Menomonee Valley. Charles Frederick Pfister
(1859-1927) (N 42.99720,
Page 12 of 19
W -87.94209; E 0423203, N 4760935) was the son of Guido Pfister and became the
president of the Pfister & Vogel Tanning / Leather Company, which was located at the
south end of the 6th Street viaduct. Both Pfisters were also involved in railroads,
banking, and insurance. Charles Pfister financed the construction of the Pfister Hotel,
which opened in 1893 at East Wisconsin Avenue and North Jefferson Street. Local
legend has it that the hotel is haunted by Charles Pfister.
At N 42.99722, W -87.94219 (E 0423199, N 4760936) we have a husband and
wife, who were a famous theater couple, Alfred Lunt (1892-1977) and Lynn Fontane
(1897-1983). They were very active in the New York Theater Guild and became
internationally famous for playing comedy, tragedy, and drama on stage. Their home in
Genosee Depot in Waukesha County, The Ten Chimneys, is on the National Register of
Historic Places.

At N 42.99695, W -87.94247 (E 0423174, N 4760906),

a locally famous department store which closed in the
1980’s, was opened by Timothy A. Chapman (1824-1892).
T.A. Chapman sold high-end clothing and merchandise, the
largest of the stores was downtown, across from the Pfister
Hotel.

{Section 32}

Our airport would be named something entirely different if we didn’t have the
Mitchells to thank. Alexander Mitchell (1817-1887), N 42.99678, W -87.94334 (E
0423104, N 4760889) was easily Milwaukee’s
most prominent financier and railroad
executive. He took over the bankrupt
Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad and expanded the
line to more than 5,000 miles in 7 states, which
ended in Mitchell, South Dakota. The railroad
later became the Milwaukee Road. His mansion
on the then Grand Avenue (Wisconson Avenue)
Page 13 of 19
had one of the most complete horticultural conservatories in the region. The Mitchell
Park Domes in Mitchell Park seemed the perfect memorial for him. Also named after
him is Mitchell Street, and Mitchell School. Pictured is the Mitchell Building in downtown
Milwaukee on East Michigan Street. This building houses the remodeled Grain
Exchange.

General William (Billy) Mitchell (N 42.99677, W -87.94339; E 0423098, N

4760888)
(1879-1936) was the grandson of Alexander Mitchell and
rose to the rank of general in the U.S. Army. He pushed
for creation of a department of National Defense,
developed the first system of air routes across the U.S.
and demonstrated the superiority of air power over sea
power during and after World War I. Though he was court
martialed for condemning U.S. unpreparedness in military
aviation, he was later honored by Congress for his
“outstanding pioneer service and foresight in the field of American military aviation.”

If you want to take a side hike across this bridge to the other portion of the
cemetery, there
are two Milwaukee notables there.

{Section 45}

Our Bay View roots include Beulah Brinton (1835-1928), a leader in social,
cultural and education (N 42.99480, W -87.94392; E 0423062, N 4760676). She
organized the Bay View community’s first public library in her home and later started
classes in sewing, cooking, and the
English language.

{Section 46}

We would not have our beautiful Whitnall

Park without Charles Whitnall (N 42.99376,

Page 14 of 19
W -87.94379; E 0423058, N 4760548) (1859-1949).
Whitnall opened Milwaukee’s first wholesale flower market in 1890. He originated the
Florist Telegraph Delivery (FTD) service. We can thank him for our county park system
leading the way into developing it into one of the best in the nation. In 1923, Whitnall
drew a plan of 84 miles of parkway along Milwaukee County’s waterways. “He hoped
the parkway system would aid the cause of civilization by ‘conserving those
environmental influences which park experts recognize
as essential to wholesome living conditions’.” (Gurda, 2006. p. 270).

{Section 38}

We all know about Milwaukee Iron, the

motorcycle that made Milwaukee famous. William
Davidson (1871-1937) (N 42.99650, W -87.94086; E
0423305, N 4760855), his two brothers, and
William Harley developed an improved motorcycle
in a shed behind his home. By 1907, the Harley-
Davidson Motor Company produced 150 cycles. In
2003, the Harley-Davidson centennial celebration
drew 250,000 riders from around the world.

Continuing in the manufacturing area, Bruno Victor Nordberg (1858-1924) (N

42.99656,
W -87.94135; E 0423269, N 4760866) founded his manugacturing company to produce
a patented automatic governor along with steam engines, pumps, hoists, and
compressors. The Nordberg
Company today is well known in the mining and quarrying industries.

{Section 33}

Back to Section 33, we have another manufacturer at N 42.99689, W -87.94160

(E 0423246, N 4760898). Arthur Oliver Smith (1859-
1913) manufactured bicycle parts and hardward for
baby carriages. He became involved in
manufacturing frames for early automobiles. The
A.O. Smith Company became the nation’s largest

Page 15 of 19
frame producer when Henry Ford placed an order for 10,000 frames. It is now known as
Tower Automotive.

Otto Herbert Falk (1865-1940), at N 42.99737, W -87.94211 (E 0423184, N

4760972), led the Falk Corporation and reorganized the Allis-Chalmers Corporation.
The Falk Corporation started as a brewery in 1856 and became a leading foundary and
the largest manufacturer of precision industrial gears.
August Gallun (1834-1912), at N 42.99743, W -87.94204 (E 0423210, N
4760964), established a tannery in partnership with Albert Trostel in 1858. In 1885 it
was one of the four

largest tanneries in the United States. He was known for encouraging immigrant
laborers to
become U.S. citizens and for assisting them in purchasing homes.

{Section 36}

Edward P. Allis (1824-1889), at N 42.99847, W -87.94172 (E 0423237, N

4761069), purchased a bankrupt business in the Walker’s Point neighborhood, Reliance
Works. His company supplied water pipes and pumping engines for Milwaukee’s first
water system. The Edward P. Allis Company relocated and expanded to West Allis and
became the Allis-Chalmes Corporation in 1901.

Frederick Vogel (1823-1892), at N 42.99870,

W -87.94128 (E 0423275, N 4761091), built a small
tannery and sold his leather through Guido Pfister’s
store. In 1853, they became partners in the Pfister &
Vogel Leather Company, which was located at the
south end of the 6th Street Viaduct. By World War I it
was ranked as the world’s largest leather firm.

Moving on, we come to “Brewer’s Corners”, not the baseball Brewers but the

beer brewers.

Page 16 of 19
 August Uihlein (1842-1911) at N 42.99884, W -87.94132 (E 0420274, N
4761122), along with his five brothers, worked for the
Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company. Nephews of August
Krug, the brewery’s founder, assumed control of the
Joseph Schlitz Brewery when Joseph Schlitz died. The
Joseph Schlitz Brewery “became the beer that made
Milwaukee famous” under the guidance of August
Uihlein.
Joseph Schlitz (1831-1875) is memorialized at
N 42.99889, W -87.94144 (E 0423266, N 4761123). He
lost his life at sea off the coast of England after returning
to Germany for a visit. Schlitz worked in the brewery of
August Krug. When August Krug died, Schlitz took over
the management of the brewery for Krug’s widow, whom he later married. The
company
was later reorganized and incorporated as the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company.

{Section 37}

Valentin Blatz, (1826-1894), has the largest

cript in the cemetery at N 42.99909, W -87.94112
(E 0423289, N 4761135). He purchased a
brewery and expanded the buildings to cover
more than four city blocks. In 1874, the first
bottled beer was produced in Milwaukee. The
brewery was incorporated in 1889 as the Valentin
Blatz Brewing Company. Blatz was also involved
in banking, real estate, and railroad promotion.

{Section 40}

Frederick Pabst, (1836-1904), N 42.99929,

W -87.94160, (E 0423249, N 4761164), was a Great
Lakes steamship captain. He married Phillip Best’s

Page 17 of 19
daughter (son of Jacob Best), and invested his savings in the beer business. He and
another son-in-law built the brewery into the nation’s
largest. Another contribution of his is the Pabst Theater.

{Section 36}

Merrill Park neighborhood is named for Sherburn Sanborn Merrill (1818-1885), N

42.99897, W -87.94161, (E 0423248, N 4761131), became superintendent of the
Chicago, Milwaukee, & St. Paul Railroad under the direction of Alexander Mitchell. The
rainroad became the world’s longest incorporated railroad. Merrill supervised the
building of roundhouses and repair shops in the
Menomonee Valley.

As you can see from this sample of Milwaukee notables, there is also a varied
mixture of grave markers, which gives this cemetery an interesting character. Some
are very large and ornate, others are very simplistic.
Milwaukee has many more notables buried in our Forest Home Cemetery. Those
chosen here are associated with names and places students in middle and high school
might be familiar with in Milwaukee.
I hope you have enjoyed this tour as much as I have putting it together, and that
you can explore your own neighborhoods and learn something about your past.

References

Forest Home Cemetery. www.foresthomecemetery.com/historical.html (accessed 5-19-

2009)

Gurda, John. The Making of Milwaukee. Burton & Mayer, Inc., Brookfield, Wisconsin.

2006.
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