Cream City Chronicles is a collection of lively stories about the people, the events, the landmarks, and the institutions that have made Milwaukee a unique American community. These stories represent the best of historian John Gurda’s popular Sunday columns that have appeared in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel since 1994. Find yourself transported back to another time, when the village of Milwaukee was home to fur trappers and traders. Follow the development of Milwaukee’s distinctive neighborhoods, its rise as a port city and industrial center, and its changing political climate. From singing mayors to summer festivals, from blueblood weddings to bloody labor disturbances, the collection offers a generous sampling of tales that express the true character of a hometown metropolis.
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“John Gurda begins with recent events in Milwaukee's history and finds their past origins. His accounts of facts of the past are treated sensitively, and he interprets their meaning with unique observations. These stories will last as long as there is a Milwaukee.” (Frank Zeidler, Former Mayor of Milwaukee)
“The name John Gurda is synonymous with Milwaukee history. . . . Cream City Chronicles is perfect for classroom use or for anyone interested in Milwaukee history delivered in small, digestible bites. I recommend it highly.” (Timothy L. Ericson, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee)
“John Gurda's Cream City Chronicles is not only a richly evocative history of the city of Milwaukee but, in the tradition of the great cultural geographers of generations' past, is also a reflection of the uniqueness of place. . . . Gurda's stories present not merely the outline but the essence of a proud and ever changing city.” (David McDaniel, Assistant Professor of History, Carroll College)
“No Milwaukee writer today better knows this city's yesterdays, and no one more clearly explains how what was then led to what is now. Cream City Chronicles is aptly named; these snapshots, like handsome bricks stacked one on another, build an enduring portrait of Milwaukee.” (Dennis McCann, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
"No living person knows more about Milwaukee's past than John Gurda, and Cream City Chronicles readily displays his gifts as a historian and a writer. . . . Cream City Chronicles is must reading for anyone who truly wants to understand and appreciate Milwaukee's rich heritage." (James Marten, Professor of History, Marquette University)
"This book of newspaper columns penned by Gurda is a perfect complement to The Making of Milwaukee. Instead of trying to tell it all, these essays focus on the interesting, the unique and the important. Fascinating tidbits that can be read sporadically or in one sitting." (Bobby Tanzilo, OnMilwaukee.com)
2007 Wisconsin Library Association's Outstanding Achievement Award Winner
2006 First Place in Humor from the Midwest Independent Publishers Association
2006 First Place in Humor from the Midwest Independent Publishers Association
About the Author
John Gurda is a Milwaukee-born writer and historian who has been studying his hometown for more than twenty-five years. He is the author of fifteen books, including histories of Milwaukee area neighborhoods, churches, and industries. He is a photographer, lecturer, and local history columnist for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Gurda is an eight-time winner of the Wisconsin Historical Society’s Award of Merit.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
For all Milwaukeans & everyone who likes storytelling with a historical,
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This review is from: Cream City Chronicles: Stories of Milwaukee's Past (Hardcover)
bend. John Gurda is an excellent story-teller/writer/historian. This book is a collection of 65 of his articles that have appeared in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel over the years & continues the first Sunday of every month. Sometimes historical, sometimes tinged with his own political views, but always interesting. If you love Milwaukee as he does, & have lived here for a period of time you will connect with these stories some in the distant past & some more recent. Some of the places still remain. If you are of a certain age you can remember some of them or at least your parents or grandparents can if you encourage them. Milwaukee was one of the most European of American cities. The Munich of North America it was called. Indeed it had a thriving German tradition in food, language, architecture & culture. Sadly, much of that was beaten out by two world wars. Milwaukee's broad ethnicity still remains. Milwaukee's strong socialist politics in much of the 20th century may be unique among major American cities. It certainly contributed to our reputation as one of the cleanest cities in The United States.
3.0 out of 5 stars
Old World Charm,
This review is from: Cream City Chronicles: Stories of Milwaukee's Past (Hardcover)
A compilation of Gurda's columns from the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Brief, informative, and entertaining--he covers the early settlers, socialist mayors, ice harvesting, and landmarks like Borchert Field and the Auditorium.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Nice vignettes,
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This review is from: Cream City Chronicles: Stories of Milwaukee's Past (Hardcover)
This book is worthwhile for the charming views it gives of Milwaukee history. Each chapter is short and not very deep, but it gives a glimpse into the past. If memory serves, these had been published previously as newspaper articles, so that explains the brevity.
I was constantly annoyed by the author's polictically correct sermonizing at the end of most of the chapters. I still enjoyed the real history he included before he got to his final preachy paragraph. The book is by no means a history of Milwaukee, but a collection of interesting vignettes on the past.
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