"The Making of Milwaukee" is the first comprehensive history of Milwaukee County to be published in nearly twenty years. Gurda's book traces the evolution of Wisconsin's largest city from its origins as a Native American settlement to the present day. John Gurda is well-known for his numerous publications on the history of the city, including a monthly column in "The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel."
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
John Gurda is a Milwaukee-born writer and historian who has been studying his hometown since 1972. He is the author of twelve previous books, including histories of ethnic neighborhoods, heavy industries, and places of worship in the Milwaukee area. Gurda is also a photographer, lecturer, and local history columnist for the "Milwaukee Journal Sentinel." He holds a B.A. in English from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. Gurda is a seven-time winner of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin's Award of Merit.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Making of Milwaukee,
By Howard C. Menzel (Santa Barbara, California) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Making of Milwaukee (Hardcover)
For anyone who has lived in Milwaukee or has ancestors who have lived there, this book is definitely a "must read". What makes it so interesting and informative, apart from the author's lucid and refreshing style, is the liberal use of photographs of persons, places, things and events representing the era being described, as well as, numerous maps and charts clarifying the subject matter. We found it helpful to have a street map of Milwaukee, which we frequently referred to. By the effective use of illustrations on almost every page to illuminate the text material, author Gurda has succeeded in producing as close to a "living history" as a book can become.Beginning with the area's first native inhabitants encountered by French fur traders Jacques Vieau and Solomon Juneau near the confluence of the Milwaukee, Menomonee and Kinnickinnic rivers where they empty into Lake Michigan, the author fashions a detailed and colorful mosaic of Milwaukee's history down to the close of the twentieth century. In the second half of the nineteenth century the population of the city grew rapidly as immigrants from Europe sought escape from political persecution and successive crop failures. Most of the new arrivals were from Germany and they were very successful in transferring their customs and culture to their adopted city. Milwaukee reigned as the nation's "Deutsch Athen" until the beginning of World War I. "Gemutlichkeit", a cozy atmosphere for making one's self at home, became Milwaukee's trademark. The city's Teutonic influence was apparent in its beer gardens, choral and gymnastic societies, stage productions and German language newspapers, as well as in the thrift and industry characteristic of its workers. Political and social scientists are sure to delight in author Gurda's account of Milwaukee's Socialist government and the manner in which successive municipal governments dealt with the social problems of an era. With but few interruptions, Milwaukee's Socialist Mayors ruled from 1910 to 1940. The first was Emil Seidel whose private secretary was Carl Sandburg who went on to win Pulitzer prizes in poetry and history, but the most noteworthy of them was Daniel Hoan who ruled Milwaukee for 19 years. A former city attorney who had parlayed his role as protector of the public weal against The Milwaukee Electric Power Company, he brought honesty and efficiency to the city's government. Time magazine, in its cover article of 1936, wrote: "Daniel Webster Hoan remains one of the nation's ablest public servants, and under him Milwaukee has become perhaps the best governed city in the U.S." It must be noted, however, that Milwaukee's Socialists were pragmatic rather than extremist in practice. Without abandoning their principles, they were able to accomplish many significant things by compromise and example despite the fact that they most often lacked a majority on the city council. The book clearly points out that Milwaukee bcame famous for many things other than beer and Harley Davidson motorcycles. To name but a few: its world famous system of neighborhood parks, its zoo, harbor and dock facilities for ocean going vessels, heavy industries, tanneries, foundries and machine tool manufacturing. It also became famous for the pride with which homeowners maintained their property. The extensive eight page bibliography provides a valuable resource to the reader wishing to further explore a particular historical point, and the twelve page index proved to be an easy route to the book's subject matter. It is not hyperbole to say that author John Gurda's book seems destined to become one of the most fascinating and easily read accounts of American municipal history ever written. Genealogists, in particular, will appreciate the following wise observation found in the author's Forward: "I am firmly convinced that, as the velocity of change increases, it is increasingly important to rebuild our connections with the past, whether the past involves our families, our home communities, or our entire society. We do so not for comfort but for context, not to feed a misplaced sense of nostalgia but to broaden our understanding of the world around us. History, at its root, is why things are the way they are."
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting reading ~ A delight!,
This review is from: The Making of Milwaukee (Hardcover)
John Gurda's book is a must-buy if you are a Milwaukeean or former Milwaukeean! Interesting reading and conversational in tone ~ like listing to a learned storyteller sharing tales of times long-past. I found it difficult to put down.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Thorough, honest, and fair,
By
This review is from: The Making of Milwaukee (Hardcover)
I picked up this book on a whim at a local bookstore, and found it to be a wonderful read. I've always been curious about the history of the area I grew up in, and this book gives a solid introduction to the area. I cannot speak for history buffs of the region, who might quibble with a fact or two, but I'm glad to find such an engaging book on the subject.
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