History/ Urban Studies / Wisconsin

 

The Making of Milwaukee
John Gurda


An illustrated history

These words call up an image of an ethnic, industrial town whose skyline is thick with smokestacks and steeples, a place whose character can be summed up in another "B" word: blue collar. It's true that Milwaukee's German accent was unmistakable in the 1880s; it was the Beer Capital of the World; and it's the home of the steam shovels that dug the Panama Canal, the engines that powered the New York City subway system, and the motorcycles that made Harley-Davidson an American legend.

But the stereotypes don't begin to convey the richness of Milwaukee's past. They don't describe the five citizens killed by the state militia as they marched for the eight-hour day. The Jewish community leader who wrote The Settlement Cookbook. The Italian railroad promoter who bribed an entire state legislature. The Socialists who made Milwaukee the best governed big city in America. Allis-Chalmers and Pabst Blue Ribbon. Summerfest and Irish Fest. Golda Meir. Carl Sandburg. Robin Yount.

The Making of Milwaukee tells all those stories and a great many more. Well-written, superbly organized, and lavishly illustrated, it is sure to be the standard reference for many years to come.

Distributed for the The Milwaukee County Historical Society

John Gurda is a Milwaukee-born writer and historian and the author of twelve previous books, including histories of ethnic neighborhoods, heavy industries, and places of worship in the Milwaukee area. He is also a photographer, lecturer, and local history columnist for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Gurda is a seven-time winner of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin's Award of Merit.

the cover of The Making of Milwaukee is beige, with a collage of black and white photos.

December 1999
468 pp.      500 illus.     8 1/2 x 9
ISBN 0-938076-14-0  Cloth $24.95 t

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