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The Making of Milwaukee
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 priest who led the local crusade for civil rights in the 1960s. The 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.
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.
458 pages, Hardcover
First published December 1, 1999
16 people are currently reading
241 people want to read
About the author
John Gurda
43 books36 followersJohn Gurda is a Milwaukee-born writer and historian who has been studying his hometown since 1972. He is the author of nineteen books, on subjects ranging from life insurance to Frank Lloyd Wright and from heavy industries to historic cemeteries. The Making of Milwaukee is Gurda’s most ambitious effort. With 450 pages, more than 500 illustrations, and a cast of thousands, it is the first feature-length history of the community published since 1948. Milwaukee Public Television premiered an Emmy Award-winning documentary series based on the book in 2006.
In addition to his work as an author, Gurda is a lecturer, tour guide, and local history columnist for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He holds a B.A. in English from Boston College and an M.A. in Cultural Geography from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Gurda is an eight-time winner of the Wisconsin Historical Society’s Award of Merit.
In addition to his work as an author, Gurda is a lecturer, tour guide, and local history columnist for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He holds a B.A. in English from Boston College and an M.A. in Cultural Geography from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Gurda is an eight-time winner of the Wisconsin Historical Society’s Award of Merit.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
November 6, 2019
This one took a long time to read as there was so much information & it was so densely written, but it was worth it. Ever since I read a book on Milwaukee's history many years ago, I've been fascinated with learning more. My ancestors settled in Milwaukee, I've lived in, near or around it in various locations all my life. I did watch the documentary of The Making of Milwaukee, also years ago, & enjoyed it very much. There was a lot I remembered, but there was also so much I didn't know. It was exciting to read about the things/events/places I knew from personal history and/or experience. This was the revised edition which carried the history right up to the present & it made me want to explore more of the area & see all the places in the book. I loved it!
August 14, 2019
Wonderfully researched, this book should be a must-read for anyone who loves my home town. Starting with prehistoric times and walking the reader through the decades up to the early 21st century, every success, struggle and scandal of Milwaukee is depicted in highly descriptive prose and many vintage photos. I learned a lot about our history, both good and bad, and enjoyed every moment of it. This book is a keeper!
September 14, 2017
Telling the whole-cloth history of a city, from its indigenous roots up to its modern day context is no easy feat. Gurda does it with ease through a steady-moving and fascinating narrative. As a native Milwaukeean and a reader of urban histories, this book was a real treat to finally read. It had been on my bookshelf for a long time, but once I started, I kept looking forward to picking it up again. It was a page turner!
One of the most satisfying parts of this book was that it helped me chronologically and thoroughly piece together several commonly referenced aspects of local history. Growing up in Milwaukee, I had heard names like Solomon Juneau, Allis-Chalmers, Dan Hoan, and James Groppi. I've taken several trips to places like the Domes, the Pabst Mansion, the Summerfest grounds and the Bayview neighborhood. Now, after I've read this book, like putting a puzzle together, all the names, places, and events fit together. 5 stars!
One of the most satisfying parts of this book was that it helped me chronologically and thoroughly piece together several commonly referenced aspects of local history. Growing up in Milwaukee, I had heard names like Solomon Juneau, Allis-Chalmers, Dan Hoan, and James Groppi. I've taken several trips to places like the Domes, the Pabst Mansion, the Summerfest grounds and the Bayview neighborhood. Now, after I've read this book, like putting a puzzle together, all the names, places, and events fit together. 5 stars!
February 12, 2019
Excellent and informative history of the city I grew up in but haven't lived in since 1980 - so I was missing pivotal moments of the late 20th century. Particularly that history, and reading about it, gave me much clarity in the changes to Milwaukee over the past almost 40 years. It's a different place in many respects, but exactly the same in many more, which I find comforting and anchoring. With the current hoo-ha in our national politics over socialism, it's worth remembering that two of Milwaukee's most successful mayors were Socialists. They made the city a much more workable place! Every time I visit I still can't get over how clean Milwaukee is. Cold for this Californian, but clean :-)
November 21, 2023
Excellent book about Milwaukee from the beginning up to 2000. It does NOT read like a text book, but brings the facts forward in chronological order telling both the good times and the bad that help shaped this city. I learn a lot about my city and a lot about the buildings in it.
March 14, 2018
Engaging and thorough history of my home town, with lots of great photos.
August 29, 2019
John Gurda is a great storyteller!
July 18, 2020
Great account of how Milwaukee developed from a settlement to an industrial city and is changing again.
March 12, 2021
Well written history of Milwaukee.
May 31, 2021
This held a whole lot of interesting stuff about Milwaukee I didn't know about.
March 13, 2025
A true triumph of Milwaukee history. John Gurda is a local treasure. A long but must read for Wisconsin history enthusiasts and those that love this city.
February 13, 2026
Iconic history book all other cities should aspire to. Well done gurda, well done.
April 4, 2019
Apri 2019 update
Refreshed for a new generation, this new edition updates the text while adding a chapter that carries our story into the new century. Thirty-thousand copies in print.
In the new forty-four page chapter, Gurda gives historical context to the news and politics of the new millennium. It is fun to take a step back from the history we just lived through, from scandals to skyscrapers.
Downtown is brimming with home-seekers, empty-nesters and millennials who enjoy city life in numbers big enough to make downtown feel like a neighborhood again, writes Gurda.
Looking back, we know the course of history. But looking forward, the future could take any of several paths.
Will Milwaukee enjoy a renaissance as vigorous as Boston’s or implode on the scale of Detroit? The seeds of each destiny appear already, writes Gurda. What about climate change? Could melting ice caps submerge Miami and New York City? What if the west runs out of water? In either case, millions of refugees might move inland.
The southwestern shore of Lake Michigan appears from the air as a curving necklace of major settlements, from Chicago to Milwaukee. The interstate highway between the two cities reveals an emerging megalopolis with projects filling the remaining greenery. Amtrak, meanwhile serves the corridor with fourteen trains a day, planning for more to meet the demand.
A five-star new chapter for the fourth edition. But, again, an introduction would help point to updates and revisions of the text in this big book.
2015, Original review and comments
Excellent. The gold standard of Milwaukee history. John Gurda balances the cultural, social, political, racial and industrial factors. As an excellent essay writer, Gurda weaves these influences into trends and context. Almost five hundred pages with hundreds of illustrations.
Mile-thick glaciers covered this region for a million years. While the glaciers retreated, they carved out Lake Michigan and the Bay of Milwaukee. At three miles wide, this is the largest bay on the western shore of the lake, larger than the one at Chicago. The draining of the glaciers also created the eighteen-foot deep Milwaukee River, creating a natural port.
Mother Nature and Father Time get credit for creating the lake, bay and river, which became home to hundreds of natives who lived here for centuries before the pioneers arrived and turned this into a thriving port city.
The story here begins at least twelve thousand years ago, when the first people moved in, following the retreating glaciers. The first people in these parts were bands of hunters who followed the mastodons and musk oxen. The name and pronunciation of Milwaukee settled down about two hundred years ago.
This ancient history is fascinating. And every story since then is interesting. The always-quotable and fluid writing of John Gurda flows from story to story. He is a master storyteller.
I read the first edition sixteen years ago. Goodreads does not show it, but the third edition published in 2006. Twenty pages of bibliography and index. A quibble: Introductions to the second and third editions would explain what changed, based on new scholarship or recent events, context or trends. Looking forward to a new introduction in a fourth edition.
Milwaukee Public Television created a five-hour series based on this book. http://www.themakingofmilwaukee.com But that's only a fine supplement to, not a replacement for, this interesting story.
John Gurda writes a timely history essay for The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that publishes on the first Sunday of each month. http://johngurda.com/node/13
Refreshed for a new generation, this new edition updates the text while adding a chapter that carries our story into the new century. Thirty-thousand copies in print.
In the new forty-four page chapter, Gurda gives historical context to the news and politics of the new millennium. It is fun to take a step back from the history we just lived through, from scandals to skyscrapers.
Downtown is brimming with home-seekers, empty-nesters and millennials who enjoy city life in numbers big enough to make downtown feel like a neighborhood again, writes Gurda.
Looking back, we know the course of history. But looking forward, the future could take any of several paths.
Will Milwaukee enjoy a renaissance as vigorous as Boston’s or implode on the scale of Detroit? The seeds of each destiny appear already, writes Gurda. What about climate change? Could melting ice caps submerge Miami and New York City? What if the west runs out of water? In either case, millions of refugees might move inland.
The southwestern shore of Lake Michigan appears from the air as a curving necklace of major settlements, from Chicago to Milwaukee. The interstate highway between the two cities reveals an emerging megalopolis with projects filling the remaining greenery. Amtrak, meanwhile serves the corridor with fourteen trains a day, planning for more to meet the demand.
A five-star new chapter for the fourth edition. But, again, an introduction would help point to updates and revisions of the text in this big book.
2015, Original review and comments
Excellent. The gold standard of Milwaukee history. John Gurda balances the cultural, social, political, racial and industrial factors. As an excellent essay writer, Gurda weaves these influences into trends and context. Almost five hundred pages with hundreds of illustrations.
Mile-thick glaciers covered this region for a million years. While the glaciers retreated, they carved out Lake Michigan and the Bay of Milwaukee. At three miles wide, this is the largest bay on the western shore of the lake, larger than the one at Chicago. The draining of the glaciers also created the eighteen-foot deep Milwaukee River, creating a natural port.
Mother Nature and Father Time get credit for creating the lake, bay and river, which became home to hundreds of natives who lived here for centuries before the pioneers arrived and turned this into a thriving port city.
The story here begins at least twelve thousand years ago, when the first people moved in, following the retreating glaciers. The first people in these parts were bands of hunters who followed the mastodons and musk oxen. The name and pronunciation of Milwaukee settled down about two hundred years ago.
This ancient history is fascinating. And every story since then is interesting. The always-quotable and fluid writing of John Gurda flows from story to story. He is a master storyteller.
I read the first edition sixteen years ago. Goodreads does not show it, but the third edition published in 2006. Twenty pages of bibliography and index. A quibble: Introductions to the second and third editions would explain what changed, based on new scholarship or recent events, context or trends. Looking forward to a new introduction in a fourth edition.
Milwaukee Public Television created a five-hour series based on this book. http://www.themakingofmilwaukee.com But that's only a fine supplement to, not a replacement for, this interesting story.
John Gurda writes a timely history essay for The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that publishes on the first Sunday of each month. http://johngurda.com/node/13
May 25, 2007
In his work, The Making of Milwaukee, John Gurda commemorates Milwaukee's sesquecentenial by creating a monumental narrative of Milwaukee's history. However, while he does a terrific job providing an in-depth look at the city's development, Gurda lacks citation and record-keeping needed to make this the valuable scholorly historical tool it could be. It is, on the other hand, very accessible and a very interesting read. It has effectively popularized and widely legitimized local Milwaukee historical study. It is also a likely find on every coffee table in the city of Milwaukee, and on the shelves of the collections of people even remotely interested in Milwaukee's history. In that respect, The Making of Milwaukee is a great start. I highly recommend this book to anyone who lives in the area, or are looking to move to Milwaukee, as a great resource for understanding this great city.
September 6, 2008
As a Milwaukee transplant, I enjoyed this history of the city.
January 13, 2009
I love regional history of any kind. Can you tell from my book list? This is a slow read but very, very interesting.
January 30, 2010
As a Milwaukean I'm biased, but I love this book. Tells you everything you didn't know about the city. How it was founded, who lived here before us, how the streets got their names..etc etc.
September 5, 2011
The definitive history of Milwaukee. Masterfully researched and beautifully written and illustrated. A must-have book for anyone interested in Milwaukee.
September 10, 2014
One of the most thorough and thoroughly interesting histories of my native city that I've ever read.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews